After an unsatisfactory bidding process and a lapse in management left St. Petersburg officials in a scramble to take over operations, the city may hand the keys of the Mahaffey Theater to its main tenant, The Florida Orchestra.
City Administrator Rob Gerdes said in a City Council committee meeting Thursday morning that his staff is working on an agreement to have the orchestra manage the theater with an outside partner.
Gerdes said both parties agree on main business points but lawyers still need to vet agreements. The goal, he said, is to reduce the city’s subsidy to the theater.
The city budgeted a $734,500 subsidy for the Mahaffey Theater this year. The Florida Orchestra receives grants from the city and rent abatement.
Gerdes said the city is authorized to enter in direct agreements for certain public properties, including the Mahaffey. He estimated the contract may go before the City Council in the next three to five months.
That brought relief to council members who have expressed concern over staff bandwidth to manage the theater and the orchestra’s uncertain future. The orchestra expressed concern directly to Mayor Ken Welch about its ability to secure rehearsal and performance dates under the theater’s former operator, Big 3 Entertainment, run by businessman Bill Edwards.
Edwards backed out of his contract months early after managing the theater for 15 years. The city requested bids to run the theater but only received one proposal.
City officials did not like that the city only got one offer. They determined that the lone pitch submitted by St. Petersburg Arts Partners, led by businessman Joe Hamilton, was not sufficient.
Hamilton runs the St. Pete Catalyst, a local news site that has a content-sharing agreement with the Tampa Bay Times.
The Florida Orchestra did not submit a proposal. Spokesperson Kelly Smith said the orchestra watched the bidding process closely and saw an opportunity to step up after that process ended.
She confirmed that conversations with the city are ongoing. She said the orchestra’s agreement would be with the city and it would have a separate contract with a management company.
“There’s still a lot of work to do,” Smith said. “The success of the venue is important to us but it’s important to the city as a whole.”
Smith said The Florida Orchestra is still committed to performing throughout the Tampa Bay area, at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater and the Straz Center in Tampa.
The orchestra has been on the hunt for a permanent home with space to hold rehearsals, store equipment and hold educational and community programs. Asked if the management contract would secure the Mahaffey as the orchestra’s home, Smith said it would be a positive step.
“It would give us a home base,” she said. “That’s what we’d want to secure for the long term.”
