ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Inside a tavern area at Tropicana Field, there is laughter and conversation. A Suncoast Tiger Bay meeting with Rays president Brian Auld has just wrapped up early Thursday evening, and members are now mingling with politicians and team executives.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch exits a side door and steps onto a furnished balcony. Before him is a panorama of most of the 86 acres planned for redevelopment with a new baseball stadium as its centerpiece.
“I look at it from this viewpoint,” Welch says softly, “and imagine what it can be.”
