If the Tampa Bay Rays decide not to move forward with a deal to build a stadium and surround it with condos, restaurants, shops and office space, it may be awhile before anything else breaks ground there.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch had a message for the Tampa Bay Rays: Either take the previously negotiated stadium deal or walk away from the plan. Welch made the remarks during his annual state of the city address on Tuesday.

Mayor Ken Welch said the city is prepared to pivot if plans for a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium and redevelopment around it that has consumed his first three years as mayor fall apart. Welch’s comments on the deal Tuesday at his State of the City address seemed like a footnote compared to past mayoral addresses,