Tampa City Council Election Impact on Business; St. Pete Opens Redevelopment Window - Ashley Kritzer
October 30, 2025 • 7 mins
Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor At Large Ashley Kritzer joins to break down the latest commercial real estate and business headlines, including how the Tampa City Council election results could affect local development priorities. She also explains what St. Petersburg’s new call for redevelopment proposals means for investors and the region’s economic growth.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
In joining us on the hotline, we have Tampa Bay
Business Journal Editor at large, Ashley Kreutzer. You can find
her work and a whole lot more at Tampa Bay
Business Journal dot com and you can follow her on
social media too at Ashley Kreutzer. So, Ashley, want to
talk about Tampa's District five City Council race. Naya Young
(00:21):
winning turnout was pretty low. It's basically a friends and
family kind of race, but this is a pretty pivotal
position because it's a district that includes, you know, some
spots like Ebor City, the Channel District, Downtown Tampa, and
then of course areas that could use some work East
(00:42):
Tampa for example. Tell us a little bit about your
impressions of the district, the challenges ahead and Naia Young.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Well, I actually live in District five and I was
voted number ten right before lunch yesterday. But I would
say I was surprised that even this many people showed up.
Seven percent of eligible voters in District five is over
fifty one hundred votes, So I was actually impressed by that.
I don't think it's huge, but it's not bad considering
it was just you know, a city Council runoff election.
(01:10):
But I think it's it's very interesting. I mean, she
is the newcomer. Her opponent had already served on Tampa
City Council. He had been on Hillsborough County Commissioners. So
it's a new face. It's young blood, she's a young millennial,
she's thirty three years old. And it's also a woman.
She I believe it's only the seventeenth woman in Tampa
City Council history to serve. So I think that's great.
(01:34):
The city she's filling was filled by a woman, Gwen Henderson,
who died unexpectedly in June, and she's coming in, like
you said, at a really pivotal time. There's so much
development in downtown, the Channel District gas works as part
of the system, and like you said, there's some places
that have been left behind. And I think that has
been the struggle that's been the story of District five
for over a decade. Now, right, you have the urban
(01:54):
core blooming and then those neighborhoods on the outside of
that are still struggling.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I thought this was and I said this yesterday, similar
to Mum Donnie in New York. Now, I don't think
Naia Young is quite like Mumdannie, you know, positions I
think are a bit different on certain issues, but regardless.
The reason I say that is because you have somebody young, energetic,
(02:21):
exciting people on the ground and also no relatively inexperienced
here and this is a big undertaking with some of
the projects that you mentioned and some big work ahead
for some other areas in the district.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I didn't think of the parallel to Mum Donnie, but
I think that's a very interesting point. I mean, like
you said, we don't know for sure if she is
a Democratic Socialist. I believe both the people in the
race were Democrats. But I think you're right there is
sort of an energy among young people who want to
get involved, and it's great to see. I don't think
the status quo. I think everyone there's a recognition that
the status quo needs to go.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
We're joined by Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor at large
Ashley Kreutzer, that said it did seem like the business
community and the development community might have been a bit
more behind her opponent, former councilman Thomas Scott, who had
a lot of experience, and you know, despite her focus
on East Tampa and some areas that could really use
(03:19):
some attention and resources. You know, when you're dealing with
projects as big as gas works or water street or
you know some of the other ones that are to
come in Ebor City. They have a way of dominating
your time, don't they. They do.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
And that's an interesting point. I mean, let's let's be honest.
The business community is the establishment, so that's not a
surprise that that was the dynamic. But I mean, look
at what mom Donnie's doing, if you want to continue
that parallel. He's learning how to reach out to the
business community and learning how to create relationships that maybe
he can make some of that change possible. And from
what I have heard of Nia Young, I think that
(03:56):
that's also a strength of hers, that she's very good
at connecting with people.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
All Right, I want to talk about something else, going
to the other side of the bay. Saint Pete opening
a thirty day window in mid November for New Tropicana
Field redevelopment proposals. That has led to quite a bit
of criticism that it's an extremely short window for something
as big as the redevelopment of the Trump site. And also,
(04:23):
you know, it's happening around the holidays, there are challenges there.
What are your thoughts on this new approach from Mayor
Ken Welsh?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah, I thought it was really interesting. There was a
developer out of South Florida last week who had asked
the administration and Saint Petersburg City Council to extend the
deadline because these proposals are very heavy endeavors to put together.
There's a lot of pieces involved. You know, it's not
just the developer drawing up a coloring book of what
they want to see on the site. Right there's architects,
there's engineers, there's community engagement, there's studies. It's something that
(04:55):
takes a very long time financing our project of the
scale the financ right, Like ideally you'd want to see
people come to the table with financing partners that have
already signed on. And I thought it was interesting the
Mariteld the Tampa Day Times that I think folks who
are serious about it have been thinking about this for
a long time and have an opportunity to start putting
a proposal together. And people who know development are going
(05:16):
to read that quote in the Times and say this
mayor really doesn't know how development works because you can
be thinking about it, but until unless and until you've
engaged your partners, which you're not going to do until
there's a valid opportunity. It's just a very strange approach.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, and we still don't have any clarity on where
the Rays want to be. We think they likely don't
want to be insane people who don't know that for sure.
And you had I'm sure developers who maybe they were
interested in this, but then may Or Welsh made a
deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. That whole thing eventually
fell apart. But now you know, you might have a
(05:53):
bunch of new people take a look at it and
say all right, I'll give it a go. But these
challenges of getting that done in that small window, you
just wonder are we looking at speed as opposed to
the best possible deal and setup that we could get.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
When you make a good point with the Tampa Bay
Rays because their lease on the trop expires in twenty
twenty eight, the stadium's being repaired, they're going to play
out the rest of their lease there. But Patrick Lupski
said he wanted to be in a new stadium for
opening day twenty twenty nine, which is shovels in the
ground in this coming January. That's a very aggressive, probably
somewhat unlikely timeline. So it seems to any casual bystander
(06:33):
that the Rays probably would end up in Saint Pete
past twenty twenty eight. And why one would ask, like,
why wouldn't you want to extend that lease making some
of your money back when you're spending tens of millions
of dollars to repair the trop for a two year window.
If they could play there longer, You'd think that's a
prudent decision on behalf of the taxpayers.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor at large, Ashley Kreutzer. You
can find all of our work a whole lot more
at Tampa Bay Business Journal dot com, and you can
follow her on social media too at Ashley Kreitzer. Ashley
always appreciate the time, Thanks so much, thanks for having me.
It's a Ryan Gorman Show five to nine every weekday
morning on news radio WFLA.
In joining us on the hotline, we have Tampa Bay
Business Journal Editor at large, Ashley Kreutzer. You can find
her work and a whole lot more at Tampa Bay
Business Journal dot com and you can follow her on
social media too at Ashley Kreutzer. So, Ashley, want to
talk about Tampa's District five City Council race. Naya Young
(00:21):
winning turnout was pretty low. It's basically a friends and
family kind of race, but this is a pretty pivotal
position because it's a district that includes, you know, some
spots like Ebor City, the Channel District, Downtown Tampa, and
then of course areas that could use some work East
(00:42):
Tampa for example. Tell us a little bit about your
impressions of the district, the challenges ahead and Naia Young.
Speaker 2 (00:50):
Well, I actually live in District five and I was
voted number ten right before lunch yesterday. But I would
say I was surprised that even this many people showed up.
Seven percent of eligible voters in District five is over
fifty one hundred votes, So I was actually impressed by that.
I don't think it's huge, but it's not bad considering
it was just you know, a city Council runoff election.
(01:10):
But I think it's it's very interesting. I mean, she
is the newcomer. Her opponent had already served on Tampa
City Council. He had been on Hillsborough County Commissioners. So
it's a new face. It's young blood, she's a young millennial,
she's thirty three years old. And it's also a woman.
She I believe it's only the seventeenth woman in Tampa
City Council history to serve. So I think that's great.
(01:34):
The city she's filling was filled by a woman, Gwen Henderson,
who died unexpectedly in June, and she's coming in, like
you said, at a really pivotal time. There's so much
development in downtown, the Channel District gas works as part
of the system, and like you said, there's some places
that have been left behind. And I think that has
been the struggle that's been the story of District five
for over a decade. Now, right, you have the urban
(01:54):
core blooming and then those neighborhoods on the outside of
that are still struggling.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
I thought this was and I said this yesterday, similar
to Mum Donnie in New York. Now, I don't think
Naia Young is quite like Mumdannie, you know, positions I
think are a bit different on certain issues, but regardless.
The reason I say that is because you have somebody young, energetic,
(02:21):
exciting people on the ground and also no relatively inexperienced
here and this is a big undertaking with some of
the projects that you mentioned and some big work ahead
for some other areas in the district.
Speaker 2 (02:37):
I didn't think of the parallel to Mum Donnie, but
I think that's a very interesting point. I mean, like
you said, we don't know for sure if she is
a Democratic Socialist. I believe both the people in the
race were Democrats. But I think you're right there is
sort of an energy among young people who want to
get involved, and it's great to see. I don't think
the status quo. I think everyone there's a recognition that
the status quo needs to go.
Speaker 1 (02:58):
We're joined by Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor at large
Ashley Kreutzer, that said it did seem like the business
community and the development community might have been a bit
more behind her opponent, former councilman Thomas Scott, who had
a lot of experience, and you know, despite her focus
on East Tampa and some areas that could really use
(03:19):
some attention and resources. You know, when you're dealing with
projects as big as gas works or water street or
you know some of the other ones that are to
come in Ebor City. They have a way of dominating
your time, don't they. They do.
Speaker 2 (03:34):
And that's an interesting point. I mean, let's let's be honest.
The business community is the establishment, so that's not a
surprise that that was the dynamic. But I mean, look
at what mom Donnie's doing, if you want to continue
that parallel. He's learning how to reach out to the
business community and learning how to create relationships that maybe
he can make some of that change possible. And from
what I have heard of Nia Young, I think that
(03:56):
that's also a strength of hers, that she's very good
at connecting with people.
Speaker 1 (03:59):
All Right, I want to talk about something else, going
to the other side of the bay. Saint Pete opening
a thirty day window in mid November for New Tropicana
Field redevelopment proposals. That has led to quite a bit
of criticism that it's an extremely short window for something
as big as the redevelopment of the Trump site. And also,
(04:23):
you know, it's happening around the holidays, there are challenges there.
What are your thoughts on this new approach from Mayor
Ken Welsh?
Speaker 2 (04:32):
Yeah, I thought it was really interesting. There was a
developer out of South Florida last week who had asked
the administration and Saint Petersburg City Council to extend the
deadline because these proposals are very heavy endeavors to put together.
There's a lot of pieces involved. You know, it's not
just the developer drawing up a coloring book of what
they want to see on the site. Right there's architects,
there's engineers, there's community engagement, there's studies. It's something that
(04:55):
takes a very long time financing our project of the
scale the financ right, Like ideally you'd want to see
people come to the table with financing partners that have
already signed on. And I thought it was interesting the
Mariteld the Tampa Day Times that I think folks who
are serious about it have been thinking about this for
a long time and have an opportunity to start putting
a proposal together. And people who know development are going
(05:16):
to read that quote in the Times and say this
mayor really doesn't know how development works because you can
be thinking about it, but until unless and until you've
engaged your partners, which you're not going to do until
there's a valid opportunity. It's just a very strange approach.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Yeah, and we still don't have any clarity on where
the Rays want to be. We think they likely don't
want to be insane people who don't know that for sure.
And you had I'm sure developers who maybe they were
interested in this, but then may Or Welsh made a
deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. That whole thing eventually
fell apart. But now you know, you might have a
(05:53):
bunch of new people take a look at it and
say all right, I'll give it a go. But these
challenges of getting that done in that small window, you
just wonder are we looking at speed as opposed to
the best possible deal and setup that we could get.
Speaker 2 (06:10):
When you make a good point with the Tampa Bay
Rays because their lease on the trop expires in twenty
twenty eight, the stadium's being repaired, they're going to play
out the rest of their lease there. But Patrick Lupski
said he wanted to be in a new stadium for
opening day twenty twenty nine, which is shovels in the
ground in this coming January. That's a very aggressive, probably
somewhat unlikely timeline. So it seems to any casual bystander
(06:33):
that the Rays probably would end up in Saint Pete
past twenty twenty eight. And why one would ask, like,
why wouldn't you want to extend that lease making some
of your money back when you're spending tens of millions
of dollars to repair the trop for a two year window.
If they could play there longer, You'd think that's a
prudent decision on behalf of the taxpayers.
Speaker 1 (06:51):
Tampa Bay Business Journal Editor at large, Ashley Kreutzer. You
can find all of our work a whole lot more
at Tampa Bay Business Journal dot com, and you can
follow her on social media too at Ashley Kreitzer. Ashley
always appreciate the time, Thanks so much, thanks for having me.
It's a Ryan Gorman Show five to nine every weekday
morning on news radio WFLA.
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