Reports of the death of the Historic Gas Plant District deal may be premature, Poliverse can exclusively reveal – but legislative agreement may be much harder to come by than it was in 2023.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said that he considered the deal offered to Tampa Bay Rays owner Stu Sternberg , which was formally terminated last month, to be a basis for negotiation with the incoming Zalupski ownership group, which is in advanced talks to purchase the Rays for $1.7 billion.

“If they came and wanted the same offer, we’d definitely have a conversation,” Welch said in an interview Thursday.

He stopped short of supporting a renewed deal as-is, however. Welch highlighted the changed realities both the City and the Rays will face, thanks particularly to the City assuming developme

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