Mayor to meet with Rays owner, council involved

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster will meet with Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg after the World Series ends.

Foster made the details of their upcoming meeting public Thursday, as he also met with the St. Petersburg City Council to discuss the team.

The council had been upset about their lack of involvement in the ongoing negotiations between the city and the team.

Foster and the city attorney had suggested discussion between the council about the team might negatively impact the future of the Rays in St. Petersburg and had previously advised against it.

However, on Thursday, the council kicked around ideas for how to better market the Rays and lure more fans to Tropicana Field for games.

Among the suggestions: charter buses from other Bay-area cities to the Trop and focusing on children attending games.

The meager attendance for Rays games is the main reason Sternberg has said baseball in St. Petersburg might not be financially viable. Sternberg wants to look at other potential sites for a stadium, including some outside of St. Petersburg.

Foster has said he is open to other potential stadium locations, but only within St. Petersburg. He points out that the team has a contract to play in St. Pete through 2027.

Foster said the time and location of the meeting with Sternberg has not yet been ironed out.