Get Facts at St. Petersburg Convention Centre

John Hill’s column on the potential of the convention center is off the mark for many aspects of the concept and benefits of the convention center and the meeting spaces of historic gas plant sites. It is a type of informationless knee response that suppresses innovation and progress.

Firstly, for 20 years, including three times the Pinellas County Commission, which includes three times the chair of the Tourism Development Council, I know that it has been long debated as a need on this side of the Bay. There is no space to meet the needs of these types of events, which means that meetings and custom opportunities are routinely missed.

Second, the potential convention center scope does not “replace Tropicana Fields” and does not control the 86-acre historic gas plant district. There is still ample space for priorities identified by other communities, including mixed-income housing, green space, office space, unique partnership opportunities, and developments that create jobs in the health, arts and innovation sector. It could all happen within the existing footprint of a parking lot east of Trop and Booker Creek.

Important hotels and meeting spaces were included in both the proposals of both Hinesley and Sugar Hill, as well as the midtown development proposals submitted on the basis of previous requests for the proposal. City and county analysis examines the business cases (in terms of cost and profit) of this concept more fully in the form of customary fields. In particular, the Conference Centre in St. Petersburg offers many advantages over other cities, including easy walking downtown, direct access to arts and entertainment districts, and sunrunner access to the beach. These are not the amenities many other places can offer. In particular, St. Pete exceeded the $11 million hotel tax collected in 2024, indicating that visits to our cities are increasing rather than declining.

A 2016 survey conducted by RCLCO found that “downtown St. Petersburg is currently lacking in available luxury hotel rooms and associated conference/conference spaces. The city and local convention businesses will likely benefit most from adding unique facilities in the range of 80,000-100,000 square feet (conference) centres.” It has been almost ten years since that analysis. During that time, St. Pete has experienced considerable population, development and tourism growth. These changes underscore the importance of reexamining the idea of ​​a convention center and assessing its relevance in today’s context.

Finally, Hill asks, “Do you even hear about our government?” Of course we are. In fact, we held many community conversations and called for the community to prioritize future redevelopment of our site. These priorities have led to 23 guideline principles built into the proposal request issued at the start of my administration just three years ago.

These community conversations are conducted in person and essentially with approximately 1,000 participants focusing on the future of the historic gas plant district. The response has been consistent and reflected in a recent Tampa Bay Times-sponsored conversation, held at the same venue as the city’s first 2022 conversation. The priorities have not changed. Communities prioritize celebrating employment, housing, innovation, sustainability and the promise of economic inclusion and equitable development in the historic gas plant community.

The redevelopment of the historic gas factory district offers an opportunity to achieve these goals by building up St. Pete’s natural strengths, including the thriving tourism sector, growing health sciences, financial and technological ecosystems, a vibrant arts scene and a culture of innovation. Thoughtfully designed convention centers serve as dynamic and flexible venues that complement these strengths, attracting meetings, talent and investments that align with our city’s identity. Far from competing with our community priorities, right-sized meeting spaces (integrated with housing, green space and job-creating industries) could boost St. Pete’s continued rise as a destination for cooperation, creativity and inclusive economic growth. Therefore, we conduct research to understand the potential impact of the expanded meeting space based on facts and data.

We move forward based on these facts, not hysterical. We look forward to the feasibility study and the next phase of our development in the historic gas plant district.

Kenneth T. Welch is mayor of St. Petersburg.