UPDATE: St. Pete steps up fight to keep Rays

ST. PETERSBURG, Florida - Despite a last-minute letter from a senior administrator with the City of St. Petersburg, the ABC Coalition voted unanimously to approve its initial draft of conclusions designed to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay "for generations to come."

St. Petersburg City Development Administrator Rick Mussett sent a letter on Wednesday, urging the committee to show more respect toward the current lease ("use agreement") with the city, despite data that suggests the team would fare better closer to Hillsborough County.

"All of you are aware of the tremendous effort that this community expended in its drive to land an MLB franchise," Mussett wrote.  "The current ownership group was aware of (the use agreement) when they acquired control of the Franchise subsequent to the conclusion of the 2005 MLB season."

Previous news: Continuing coverage of the Rays stadium saga

The request appeared to have resonated with committee chair Jeff Lyash, as he acknowledged the importance of the letter and asked - on several occasions Friday afternoon - for more attribution in the committee's conclusions.

The report - which the board will next take to elected officials in January - states, "Baseball will not be viable long term in Tampa Bay without a substantive commitment to build a new stadium with an imaginative, fan-friendly design in a demographic-friendly site."

Read: St. Petersburg's entire letter to the ABC Coalition (PDF)

Mussett's letter also contradicts the group's conclusions and indicates a new stadium may not be necessary.

"Clearly, Tropicana Field is still capable of hosting MLB," Mussett wrote.  "But beyond being just acceptable, Tropicana Field is still an extremely functional and fan friendly facility."

Mussett also claims that a new stadium is sometimes counter-productive.

"It is easy to get excited about the potential for a new facility," the letter continues, "but it should also be noted that a new stadium may not be a panacea for attendance beyond its first year or two of operations.  This was the case in Detroit and Pittsburgh, where attendance increased the year the new stadium opened and then decreased thereafter for three consecutive years."

He did, however, tell 10 Connects that if a new stadium is necessary and the Tropicana Field site is unacceptable, a move to the Gateway area - as 10 Connects first suggested in May - might be acceptable.

The ABC Coalition indicated that it now needs to begin building a support base for a new stadium in Tampa Bay.  It will include reaching out to public officials as well as the public.

But some remarked that - without suggesting a new stadium site or funding sources - the group was stopping short of finishing its mission.

Lyash was among the members to admit more substantial studies would need to be done, but former Pinellas Co. Commissioner Bob Stewart said he wasn't sure who the Coaltion was targeting with its recommendations.

"Who are we pandering to," Stewart asked.  "To me, it goes to the source of the origination, the St. Petersburg City Council."

The City of St. Pete commissioned the Coalition late in 2008 to study the long-term viability of baseball in the area.  Stewart also said the other major funding sources of Tropicana Field need to be consulted: the Pinellas Co. Commissioners and Tourist Development Council.

Follow 10 Connects reporter Noah Pransky on Twitter at www.twitter.com/noahpransky, Facebook at www.facebook.com/noahpransky, or on his Sports vs. News blog, Shadow of the Stadium.