Castor Commends the Tampa Bay Rays for Staying in St. Pete

After years of going back and forth, the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team has decided to stay in St. Petersburg. The organization flirted with the aspect of moving the team closer to the city of Tampa and even considered moving to Montreal, but ultimately determined that they would stay in St. Pete. Representative Kathy Castor (D-FL) whose district includes the Tampa Bay region, applauded the decision.

"St. Petersburg and Pinellas County have an incredible opportunity to improve the economic outlook for local residents, grow small businesses and connect neighborhoods through the redevelopment of the historic Gas Plant district with the help of the Tampa Bay Rays and a new ballpark,” stated Rep. Castor. “St. Pete and the Rays properly envision a vibrant community with more housing that is affordable and walkable, and safe connections to South St. Petersburg, Sankofa, downtown, Edge district and surrounding neighborhoods.”

Moreover, the Florida congresswoman would go on to mention that she “couldn’t be more excited for the future.”

"The scrappiness of the Rays on the field and their winning record reflects the people of the Tampa Bay area well - we work hard and enjoy life. As Tampa Bay’s Congresswoman, I couldn’t be more excited for the future and am committed to lifting our neighborhoods with better infrastructure, transit and investment,” said Rep. Castor.

Additionally, Castor announced that the City of Tampa would be receiving a $1 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) “Urban and Community Forestry initiative.”

This initiative will permit Tampa to plant and maintain trees, as well as “combat extreme heat, and improve access to natural areas,” according to Rep. Castor’s press release.

“Tampa Bay residents are living through the hottest year on record. We need more trees and shade to protect us from extreme heat,” said Rep. Castor. “This investment in our neighborhoods is made possible by the Inflation Reduction Act and will help the City of Tampa plant trees, improve air quality, help keep our streets cooler and make our communities healthier.”

All in all, these two announcements are pretty good for the Tampa Bay region.