Thompson Whitney Blake asked the crowd to take a 30-second deep breath with him. Thirty seconds, he said, to enjoy the moment before decades of work and inevitable political hurdles. Mayor Ken Welch had just announced he had selected Blake’s proposal to redevelop Tropicana Field, home to the Tampa Bay Rays and what Welch has dubbed the Historic Gas Plant District. The iconic dome looming over where the men stood in Campbell Park last week would be theirs to reimagine for years — if it gets that far. The mayor went with what Blake had to offer over an unsolicited proposal submitted by a team that includes transplant Cathie Wood, who manages a billion-dollar investment fund. Welch used her pitch to hasten the third round of proposals to redevelop the Trop in six years. Much lies in the way of finally breaking ground on land in limbo for two decades as the Rays sought a replacement for the Trop then walked away from their own proposal to redevelop the land around it. Blake’s plan hinges on Welch’s reelection, then a yearlong negotiation process culminating in a City Council vote on the future land. Blake acknowledged that the future of the Trop could last through 10 more mayors and 10 more searches. Whether it’s with this mayor or the next one, he said, he’s prepared to carry out a vision that withstands political whims. “St. Pete’s ready,” he said. “So are we.” Righting historic wrongs, finally? Welch opened a news conference announcing his pick of a developer for the Gas Plant the same way he let Blake know he got the job. Welch read a comment from a descendant of the Gas Plant, the Black community displaced from land that is now home of the Trop. The descendant described an affordable, close-knit community that felt safe. That was Welch’s way of telling Blake, a St. Petersburg native who has led and invested in development for over 20 years, that they would be charged with righting historic wrongs as they transformed acres of pavement. Within an hour of Welch’s phone call June 30, the people who worked on the winning proposal gathered on the back patio of Perry’s Porch, Blake’s restaurant on the St. Pete Pier. They huddled around and raised glasses of Dom Pérignon. After Wood’s group submitted its proposal and Welch sought additional bids, Blake hustled to put together a plan that spoke to Welch’s priorities. He offered the most money and income-restricted housing, assembled a 57-person team and made promotional hats, T-shirts and videos emphasizing his group’s local ties. Blake’s vice president of development, Peter Van Warner, warned that their plans won’t be successful without community input. Consultant Denise Young suggested they lean into their authentic connection to St. Petersburg. Attorney and businessman Ryan Griffin, Blake’s stepbrother and onetime potential mayoral candidate, saluted Welch for making the best call for the city. J.C. Pritchett II, the mayor’s cousin by marriage and executive director of the Suncoast Tiger Bay Club political club, told the story of his father-in-law complaining about a troublemaker student at St. Petersburg High. Blake, the student, needed a letter of recommendation for Florida State University. Pritchett’s father-in-law and Welch’s uncle, Sam T. Davis, was the only teacher to come through. Pritchett, who wrote a guest column in the Tampa Bay Times supporting Blake’s bid, then acknowledged the stakes they can’t control. The group’s fate, Pritchett said, lies with the next mayor. “If he is not elected mayor, this vision isn’t going to happen,” he said of Welch. “If the right person is not elected, all these sketches and plans don’t happen.” Blake, next to his wife and 16-month-old son, vowed to win over his competition and a public skeptical of getting behind a project ahead of an election. “Anyone who loves this city is on our team,” Blake punctuated the round of toasts. A deal that transcends politics One of the potential challenges to Blake’s shot as the Gas Plant redeveloper was over next door at the St. Petersburg Museum of History that Tuesday evening. Charlie Crist, who is running for mayor, was attending a forum for City Council candidates hosted by Suncoast Tiger Bay. The former governor and congressman said it was interesting that Welch waited until an election year to make a decision. Crist said that should he win, he’d work with each team that submitted a proposal. He said he didn’t know whether he would start a new process or review existing bids. “It’s only fair,” Crist said. “I am a lawyer and I believe in due process and a proper process.” Welch visited prior projects done by Wood’s team and Blake’s team throughout Tampa Bay. His staff held closed-door meetings to discuss more granular details and evaluated each proposal’s strengths and weaknesses, which did not identify a clear favorite . Of the three shortlisted proposals that concerned most of the 86 acres, Welch’s pick of Blake may have been the safest choice politically. For years, Wood, who moved her investment fund from New York City in 2021, has described St. Petersburg as the next Austin, Texas. She teamed up with Ellison Development and Horus Construction to submit an unsolicited proposal in October focused on technology, innovation and high-wage jobs. Ellison Development has faced lawsuits over construction delays at two projects. That includes building a hotel, office tower and subsidized apartments commissioned by the city on the site of the old St. Petersburg police headquarters. After seven years, Ellison has only built a parking garage that looks like it’s still undergoing construction. The company’s co-founder, Sidd Pagidipati, in May donated $50,000 through a company he owns to a political committee supporting Welch’s reelection . Horus Construction was selected by the city to build 24 townhomes on 22nd Street South for affordable homeownership. The total price tag swelled to $19 million. The company also faced scrutiny for flying Hillsborough public officials to the Masters golf tournament . Wood’s Ark Invest is pursuing other development opportunities in the city. It joined a bid submitted in May to redevelop city-owned land in Commerce Park along 22nd Street South. Ark expressed interest in opening a second business incubator, similar to the Ark Innovation Center on Fourth Street South, in office space proposed there. Ark Invest Chief Financial Officer and Chief Strategy Officer Paul Wilson pointed to a previous statement that said the company is committed to St. Petersburg’s future and helping it thrive. The other proposal on the table came from Foundation Vision Partners. Developer Will Conroy teamed up with former members of the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines development team after the Rays backed out of a stadium and redevelopment deal last year. Conroy worked on the police headquarters project before selling a majority stake to Ellison in 2023. They offered to create a master plan for the site with development-ready parcels outfitted with roads and sewers. While much of the public and some elected officials preferred keeping the land under city control, the idea contradicted Welch’s stance that the site has been planned “to death.” Blake said he invited Conroy to be a part of his team, but “nothing substantive” came out of his conversations with the Ark Ellison Horus team. Conroy said he is continuing conversations with Blake and hopes Wood’s plan can be incorporated. “Ark is an incredible investor in the City of St. Petersburg, and I hope that they can be involved now and into the future,” Conroy wrote in a text. As for his approach to walking a tightrope with city politics, Blake said that given the decadeslong buildout, he and his team are prepared to adjust their plans. “I can’t think of a more meaningful way to spend my life than helping the city become everything it’s capable of being here,” he said. Editor’s note: This story has been updated to correct a description of investor Cathie Wood. Due to an editing error, a prior version of this story mischaracterized her net worth.