St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch gestures during an interview Friday, April 19, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla. The future of the Tampa Bay Rays should come into clear focus in the coming weeks as the St. Petersburg City Council begins discussions about the $1.3 billion ballpark that would open for the 2028 baseball season. The stadium is the linchpin of a much larger project that would transform the downtown with affordable housing, a Black history museum, office and retail space. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)