House Bill 9371

    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HR 9371

        By Representative Fischer






  1                         House Resolution

  2         A resolution joining the citizens of the city

  3         of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay region in

  4         anticipation of the first game of the area's

  5         own major league baseball team, the Tampa Bay

  6         Devil Rays.

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  8         WHEREAS, in July 1977, the Florida Legislature created

  9  the Pinellas Sports Authority, thus beginning the city of St.

10  Petersburg's quest for major league baseball, and

11         WHEREAS, on November 22, 1986, the city of St.

12  Petersburg sponsored festivities which drew a record-breaking

13  crowd of more than 9,000 stadium supporters to the official

14  groundbreaking ceremony of what was to become the Florida

15  Suncoast Dome, today's Tropicana Field, located in St.

16  Petersburg, and

17         WHEREAS, time and again the region saw major league

18  prospects slip from its grasp, with the near misses ultimately

19  fueling an even stronger cooperative effort by community,

20  civic, and business leaders to make come true the dream of

21  being home to a major league baseball team, and

22         WHEREAS, the batters hit home when, on March 9, 1995,

23  victorious managing partner Vincent J. Naimoli celebrated with

24  the millions of citizens from around the area, the awarding of

25  a major league expansion franchise, and

26         WHEREAS, millions of dollars and thousands of labor

27  hours later, the newly renovated Tropicana Field in St.

28  Petersburg is ready to host thousands of spectators who will

29  experience the reality of major league baseball after two

30  decades of anticipation and hard work, and

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CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.






    Florida House of Representatives - 1998                HR 9371

    580-115B-98






  1         WHEREAS, on March 31, 1998, at 5 p.m., the Tampa Bay

  2  Devil Rays take the field and, when the first pitch crosses

  3  the plate, fans and players will be participating in one of

  4  the most significant historic events in the city of St.

  5  Petersburg, Florida, and

  6         WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the House of

  7  Representatives recognize a 20-year effort that has resulted

  8  in the acquisition of the area's own major league baseball

  9  team, NOW, THEREFORE,

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11  Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

12  Florida:

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14         That the House of Representatives pause in its

15  deliberations to congratulate the citizens of St. Petersburg

16  and the Tampa Bay area for their persistence in attracting a

17  major league baseball team and to wish them well and much

18  success when the Tampa Bay Devil Rays play their first game

19  March 31, 1998.

20         BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution

21  be presented to Vincent J. Naimoli and the other owners of the

22  Tampa Bay Devil Rays, as a tangible token of the sentiments

23  expressed herein.

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