ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Petersburg is bracing for a crowd of more than 100,000 people as the World Series comes back to the city for the first time since 2008, with the Tampa Bay Rays set to host three games at Tropicana Field beginning Monday.
At a Friday news conference, Police Chief Anthony Holloway joined Mayor Ken Welch to lay out the plan. Welch said the total counts fans at the games, people at watch parties and visitors filling restaurants and shops, and he pointed to the playoff run the city just hosted as proof that police, fire and other city departments can manage it.
Parking is the big headache for fans. Holloway said some private lots near the stadium are asking about $150, while city lots downtown start at $25 and connect to four shuttle routes to the ballpark. Gates open three hours before first pitch, and city leaders urged people to arrive early. Officers from local, state and federal agencies will work inside and outside the stadium, some in plain clothes, with drones watching traffic.
City Hall is also turning the series into a charity drive. Welch and Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson set up a friendly wager that asks residents of both cities to help neighbors in need. St. Petersburg is backing St. Pete Free Clinic, a nonprofit whose food bank ranks among the biggest in Pinellas County. Donations, in money or items from the clinic’s wish list, can be made through the Mayor’s Challenge page or dropped in marked boxes at 25 city facilities, while Milwaukee is raising help for six homeless shelters through United Way.
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