A proposal earlier this year to demolish Al Lang Stadium landed with a thud.

Why it matters: City officials are now considering expanding it.

State of play: A new plan presented to City Council members last week suggests building a three-story, 36,000-square-foot facility for lockers, concessions and a rooftop restaurant at the waterfront home of the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

• The team's lease at the stadium is up next year. City officials hope the improvements could keep the team in the city long-term, the Tampa Bay Times reported.

What they're saying: "The team as of this moment does want to remain in St. Petersburg," Beth Herendeen, managing director of city development, told Council members.

• "And that's what we want, is for the team to stay in St. Petersburg."

The intrigue: The plan also notes the stadium's potential as "a future spring training location — should the Rays depart."

• The team's new owners said this week they're evaluating "a handful" of sites in Tampa Bay for a new stadium.
• The Rays will play at Tropicana Field, which is undergoing repairs from Hurricane Milton damage, through at least the 2028 season.

Yes, but: Spring training facilities take a lot of land, per the Times.

• A typical complex has several practice fields, a weight room, a clubhouse and more. There isn't space for that at Al Lang.

The big picture: The discussion over the soccer stadium came amid a broader visioning session for the Center for the Arts, a waterfront district that encompasses the stadium, the Mahaffey Theater and the Dalí Museum.

• Other possible upgrades to the area presented by design consultant ASD | SKY included building a five-story center for the Florida Orchestra and adding more green space between buildings.
• Consultants also discussed redesigning Al Lang's parking lot — home of the Saturday Morning Market from October through May — into a "versatile outdoor event venue."

Between the lines: Cost is a major hurdle to carrying out the upgrades, several City Council members noted.

• The presentation put the estimated price tag of the Al Lang upgrades at $49.2 million, while the rest of the plan came in at $243.8 million.

What's next: Consultants will return to the Council next year with more details on the potential cost and revenue projections.

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The hottest job markets in the country aren't in big cities.

• Instead, smaller metro areas like Tampa Bay look mighty at the moment, at least comparatively.

Why it matters: Nationwide, the labor market is slowing down, particularly for white-collar professionals in tech-heavy cities, Axios' Emily Peck reports.

By the numbers: The number of job listings in Tampa Bay grew by 6.8% from February 2020 to October, according to new data from jobs site Indeed.

• San Francisco job postings, meanwhile, declined 37% in the same period, and Seattle saw a 35% decline.
• New York City also saw a drop, by around 14%.

State of play: Metro areas that saw gains had labor markets more weighted toward health care, and leisure and hospitality, says Allison Shrivastava, an economist at Indeed Hiring Lab.

• Those two sectors accounted for more than 100% of net job gains in 2025 so far, Bloomberg recently reported.

Between the lines: The white-collar pullback is also partly due to the Trump administration's job cuts and the hiring freeze in place for much of the year.

The bottom line: The job market looks a lot like the real estate market; it's all about location, location, location.

• And job openings are always industry-contingent.

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🏫 Hillsborough County school board members formally urged the Legislature to change a law allowing certain charter schools to move into underused district public schools. (Tampa Bay Times)

• ICYMI: Read about the law and its impact on Tampa Bay school districts here.

A federal lawsuit claims that Florida used expired drugs in at least four executions this year. Executioners also may have used lower doses than what's required by state policy, the lawsuit says. (Times)

🫶 Donations poured in after a Tampa Bay woman's post on X about an angel tree for foster kids in Brandon went viral. (Bay News 9)

The weekend is fast approaching. Here are a few ways to spend it.

🎅 Board the Yacht StarShip on Sunday for its "Santa Brunch Cruise." Old Saint Nick himself will be on board for photos, with a live DJ spinning holiday classics to keep things festive.

• It sets sail from 603 Channelside Drive at 12:30pm. Tickets are $90.

🎭 Catch a production of "Les Misérables" at the Straz Center at various times this weekend, with tickets starting at $65.80.

🪩 Head down to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park on Friday for "Silent Disco," complete with over-the-ear headphones and a glowing dance floor. It's free to attend, and beside the Winter Village, where you'll find food and drinks.

⛳️ Play mini golf at the St. Petersburg Pier for its annual "Putt the Pier" event, which features a custom 18-hole course with "cheerful Christmas" obstacles, twinkling lights and candy-cane tunnels.

• Tickets cost $13. Friday, 5-9pm; Saturday and Sunday, 11am-9pm.

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Shout-out to Florida Memory for surfacing this extremely Florida holiday photo circa 1959 from the state archives.

• Weeki Wachee Springs mermaids Sandy Lawhun and Terry Ryan Hamlet are pictured underwater with this Elvis Presley cutout stocking stuffer.

Fun fact: Two years later, Presley stopped by the springs while on a break from filming "Follow That Dream" in Citrus County.