What Losing The Rays Means For St. Pete | Doug Jackson, Edge District President

What Losing The Rays Means For St. Pete | Doug Jackson, Edge District President

From Talkin' St Pete by Ryan Bogden

May 14, 2026 · 1h 26m · Episode 99

About this episode

Ryan Bogden discusses the implications of losing the Rays for St. Pete with Doug Jackson, focusing on local businesses and community development.

What would St. Pete look like without the Rays? In Episode 99 of Talkin’ St. Pete, Ryan Bogden sits down with Doug Jackson, Founder of Douglas G. Jackson, P.A. and President of the Edge District Business Association, to talk about the growth happening around the Edge District and what losing the Rays could mean for businesses around Downtown St. Pete. Doug talks about how much restaurants, bars, and small businesses around Tropicana Field rely on the traffic and energy the Rays bring into the area, and why so many local business owners care about what happens next. The conversation also covers: - The future of the Rays in St. Pete - The history behind the stadium deals - Why local businesses struggled without baseball traffic - The growth of the Edge District - Development happening across Downtown St. Pete - Keeping the local feel of St. Pete as the city grows - How the Edge District works with developers and business owners - Why community spaces and local events matter so much in St. Pete Doug also shares his story of moving from Colorado to St. Pete, building his law firm here, and getting involved with the Edge District as the city continued to grow. This episode feels like…

People in this episode

Host: Ryan Bogden

Guest: Doug Jackson

Topics covered

  • impact of losing the Rays
  • local business growth
  • Edge District development
  • community spaces
  • Downtown St. Pete
  • baseball traffic

Keywords

  • Rays
  • St. Pete
  • Edge District
  • local businesses
  • Tropicana Field
  • community spaces
  • Downtown development

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Douglas G. Jackson, P.A.

Places: St. Pete, Edge District, Downtown St. Pete, Tropicana Field, Colorado

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