Think how long it has been since the St. Petersburg City Council voted on a hot July afternoon in 1986 to take a leap of faith and build a domed stadium in hopes of attracting a Major League Baseball franchise and rejuvenating a dying downtown. It was a risky bet on the future by a stagnant city desperate for a new start, but it was the right decision and it paid off.
Fast forward three decades. The City Council took another difficult vote last week to let the Tampa Bay Rays look for a new home in both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, opening the door to redeveloping the Tropicana Field site with or without a new stadium. It was the right decision, and it should pay off for the city and the region.