St. Pete investor offers $260 million to buy 86-acre Tropicana Field site
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Prominent Tampa Bay investor Thompson Whitney Blake is offering the City of St. Petersburg $260 million in an all-cash deal to buy the Gas Plant District following the Tampa Bay Rays' abrupt announcement of abandoning the stadium agreement.
"We, along with all of the other residents in town, have listened to a decade of dialogues, debates, pundits, and prognosticators, lawyers, and talking heads... In our opinion, this project needs someone to do what my mom has always said, 'put your money where your mouth is.' So, here we go," Blake, CEO of private equity firm Blake Investment Partners, wrote in a letter to Mayor Ken Welch and the St. Petersburg City Council.
The offer letter was sent on Thursday, March 13, shortly after the Tampa Bay Rays announced on social media that they were withdrawing from the $1.37 billion deal to build a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. The team cited unforeseen challenges from back-to-back hurricanes and prolonged negotiations as reasons for their decision.
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When Jeff and Jody Musselman opened Salty Pup Coffeehouse and Wine Bar in Gulfport, the business was meant to be a new chapter.
The couple had moved back to the area after years in Atlanta, where they sold their home and said goodbye to Hampton, their 14-year-old labradoodle. They named the café after him.
Hampton was their “salty dog,” Jody told St. Pete Rising at the time, because he had a little attitude.
Nearly two years later, the Gulfport community that embraced their small coffee shop is helping make room for an even bigger idea.
The Musselmans plan to relocate The Salty Pup from 5004 Tangerine Avenue South to 4700 22nd Avenue South, a 5,348 square-foot warehouse that will also house Electric Flamingo, a new vintage marketplace with vendor booths, art displays, and space for up to 29 local sellers.
The couple is targeting a December opening, pending construction and permitting.