St. Pete council member’s PAC polls on Rays stadium, other city issues

Another poll has found public support for a proposal to build a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium, but respondents indicated they didn’t think it was one of the city’s most important issues.

The poll was commissioned by the political action committee Friends of Gina Driscoll that has backed her candidacy for the St. Petersburg City Council. The poll’s $17,000 cost was paid by a half dozen donors that included at least one stadium booster and one skeptic.

The survey asked mostly about whether respondents thought the city is heading in the right direction and what their priorities for the city are. It included one direct question about the proposed stadium subsidy.

“This is strictly something I’m doing to help candidates that I’m supporting and it’s helpful to me right now to know what’s on people’s mind,” Driscoll said. She said she thought she would have been remiss if she hadn’t included a question about the stadium.

Results of the poll were shared earlier this week with the Tampa Bay Times in a news release from Tampa-based L&H Strategies, though the company did not share the full survey. The firm’s partner, Bradley L’Herrou, wrote in an email that the firm hired SEA Polling to survey 400 registered voters, who were polled in cellphone calls and texts.

Voters were asked, “As you may have heard, the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and the Tampa Bay Rays are discussing a stadium deal to build a $1.3 billion baseball stadium that would keep the Rays in the city through 2057. Based on what you have heard, would you say that you support or oppose this deal?”

In response, 57% said they strongly or somewhat support the deal, 36% strongly or somewhat oppose the deal and 7% said they don’t know. Driscoll said there was no question about the accompanying proposal to redevelop the land around Tropicana Field.

It was the latest of at least four publicly disclosed polls, including one by the Rays, another by opposition group No Home Run and the League of Women Voters of the St. Petersburg Area.

Stephen Neely, an associate professor in the School of Public Affairs at the University of South Florida, has reviewed all four polls. He said Driscoll’s poll didn’t have any framing of the questions, which makes the survey results more reliable.

He said he probably trusts the No Home Run poll, conducted by national firm Mason-Dixon Polling and Strategy the most, though Neely had concerns about the motivation behind that poll. It found a majority of support for the stadium proposal, though less among people who asserted they know its financial terms.

Neely pointed out that Driscoll’s poll targeted registered voters who are likely more engaged and are paying more attention to the proposal. Looking at demographic data provided, he found two crucial voting blocks where support is strongest for the stadium: families with children and Hispanics.

The Rays and development partner Hines seek to build a $1.3 billion stadium that would include $600 million from taxpayers. The city would sell land around the stadium to the development group at a discount in exchange for plans to redevelop its roughly 65 acres. It would also chip in millions for new roads, sewers and other infrastructure.

According to campaign finance records, Driscoll’s political committee’s fundraising was dormant until June 5, when oil executive Bud Risser donated $5,000. Between then and June 18, Risser, four developers and one investor contributed another $12,000. They include Feldman Equities, Lema Construction, Miami developer Joseph Furst, Backstreets Capital and investor Irv Cohen.

Risser is not in favor of the deal and has launched an email campaign to influence council members to vote against its current form. He also helped pay for the No Home Run poll released last month.

“I just did it to help Gina,” Risser said. “There’s so little information out there, useful information.”

Will Conroy of Backstreets Capital has written opinion pieces in favor of the deal. He did not respond to requests for comment. Furst and Mack Feldman of Feldman Equities both told the Times they are longtime and continued supporters of Driscoll. Cohen did not return a request for comment and Lema’s Johnathan Stanton could not be reached.

On the direction of the city, 31% of voters said generally, St. Petersburg is headed in the right direction. 27% replied “wrong direction,” and 40% replied “mixed.” Voters were also asked to choose from a list options the most important issues facing St. Petersburg.

Making the city more affordable was the top choice followed by keeping taxes and spending down, supporting the city’s children and school and updating the city’s water and sewer system. Other issues included creating higher paying jobs, helping coastal areas adapt to climate change and sea level rise, reducing crime in the community, improving public transportation and keeping the Rays in St. Petersburg.