Palm Beach Post - November 14, 2007

New taxpayer-supported field for the Tampa Bay Rays?

By S.V. Date | Wednesday, November 14, 2007, 10:33 AM

Miami's attempts to build a new baseball-only park for the Marlins now either has competition or an ally "” it's too early to discern which "” from the cross-state Tampa Bay Rays, who want a new waterfront baseball stadium on the site of Al Lang field in downtown St. Petersburg.

And the Rays may have a powerful patron: Gov. Charlie Crist, whose first job out of law school was general counsel for minor league baseball out of a modest building adjacent to Al Lang, which currently serves as the team's spring training site.

"I love the idea, from what I've read. It sounds great to me. I envision, sort of "” isn't it Giant's stadium that's on the water, too? Where they're playing now is fine (domed Tropicana Field), and has served them well. But I think the opportunity to create an ambiance right on the waterfront in St. Petersburg is brilliant. I really do," Crist said this morning.

As to how he and the legislature might justify spending $2 million a year for each proposed park in a year with a projected $2 billion loss of tax money, particularly since the state must continue to pay $2 million a year for both of the teams' current homes, Crist responded with his belief that such projects create more revenue for the state (this conflicts with state economists' consistent analyses that sports stadia, because they rely on Floridians' disposable income, which is typically already spent on taxable items, always produce a net loss of tax money).

"I view, as a significant part of economic development, what sports does for Florida. Whether it's at the college level or the professional level, it's jobs, jobs, jobs for a lot of people. It's not just about the owners and the players. It's about the people in those communities," Crist said. "I also would be supportive of the one in Miami.... I think it's great. The waterfront in St. Petersburg is glorious, as it is all over the state."