The Rowdies represent the entire Tampa Bay area, but they currently call Pinellas County home. And considering how big of a booster principal owner Bill Edwards is of St Petersburg, and all his hints at building a new multi-use sports facility on the Al Lang Stadium site, Pinellas will likely remain their home for many years to come.

So fans might be interested in Greenlight Plan, a major proposal to drastically expand public transportation throughout the county. The plan calls for a 65% increase to bus service on the weekdays, and 80% on weekends. Bus transportation would shift from a hub system, where most transfers occur at one or two large bust stops to a grid system where more transfers would happen at regular street stops.

The expanded and improved bus transit would be the most comprehensive and impactful aspect of Greenlight Pinellas, but the most ambitious and, predictably, contentious phase is the proposed 24 mile light rail system connecting the downtown areas of Clearwater and St Petersburg.

On the surface it all makes sense. Reliable public transportation systems are essential in densely populated areas. Pinellas County is the most densely populated county in the state, with an estimated 3,347 people per square mile. But investment in public transportation, passenger rail especially, is always a contentious topic. Some view it as a necessary part of existing as a major metropolitan area in today’s times. Others see passenger rail as a large scale boondoggle that fails to deliver on many of its promised benefits.

The current price tag for the light rail portion of the plan is approximately $1.7 billion, which will be spread out over a 30 year period. To pay for this, and all other aspects of the plan, a 1% sales tax increase in Pinellas would need to be approved in a referendum vote on November 4th. The property tax that currently goes to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority would be eliminated in 2015, and the new sales tax would take effect in January 2016. The increase would bring the county’s sales tax up to 8%. That would the state be the highest in the state. But Polk County may also soon approve an increase to 8%, and 6 other counties already have sales tax rates at 7.5%. Critics of Greenlight Pinellas say the increase amounts to a regressive tax, basically meaning the burden will disproportionately be put on low income residents. Proponents of the plan, unsurprisingly, disagree and say that the shift to sales tax will spread the burden more evenly among residents and tourists will end up paying for about one third of the yearly sales tax revenue.

Putting aside any politics, if the referendum passes how it affect the Rowdies long term future in St Petersburg? If Bill Edwards and the Rowdies are successful in the attempt to get a new stadium at the Al Lang site it will be a few years from now. The proposed light rail would likely be even further off. Right now the light rail system is scheduled to begin operating in 2024.

Currently the proposal is for 16 stops on the line and an estimated travel time of 57 minutes between the first and last stop. The tentative final stop in downtown St Petersburg is around the intersection of 1st Ave S and MLK Junior St, which is just under 1 mile from Al Lang Stadium. That’s not exactly a short walk, but for those without personal transportation or who may prefer to avoid traffic if the service is reliable there are worse places to walk through than downtown St Petersburg on a Saturday evening.

Anyone paying even a modicum of attention the dealings of the new Rowdies ownership knows that Bill Edwards is deeply committed to St Petersburg, which means he is also committed to Pinellas County. This is no way means that he should give up on Hillsborough or any other areas that make up the Tampa Bay area. The team should be finding the best ways to market itself all over the Bay.

But the reality is that Pinellas County is home base for the Rowdies. Increased access to reliable transportation for residents and an improved connection between the county’s two largest cities is an obvious positive for the Rowdies. Anything that makes downtown St Petersburg a more enticing and accessible entertainment destination is a win for the club. When stadium discussions for a soccer team start, two factors always rise to the top of the list; a prime downtown location and easily accessible public transportation to get to there. At Al Lang, the Rowdies already have the former, and the Greenlight Pinellas plan could go a long way towards achieving the latter.

Tampa Bay is undeniably a car-centric culture. If you don’t have one, you are severely limited in your opportunities. So the people behind this plan have a tough road ahead, trying to convince people to view public transportation as a legitimate alternative to owning a vehicle, or choosing to drive whenever they travel somewhere in Pinellas.

There are obvious questions and doubts surrounding the plan, but the possible benefits surrounding it should excite Rowdies fans. Everyone in Tampa Bay knows that getting most people to cross the Bay on a regular basis is pretty much impossible. This plan won’t do much convince those people either considering its all about Pinellas. It could eventually spur Hillsborough to improve its own public transit system, but that’s irrelevant to the Rowdies. Greenlight Pinellas has potential to allow the Tampa Bay Rowdies to assert themselves in Pinellas by reaching out to previously untapped areas of the county.

Hypothetically, this plan could consistently draw more Pinellas residents to St Petersburg. That in turn, assuming there are marketing efforts in concert with, could lead to more Pinellas residents attending Rowdies matches. More people in the stands at Rowdies games means an increased profile and enhanced perception for the club throughout Tampa Bay. In American soccer, the perception battle is a key one to be on the winning side of.

You can go to http://greenlightpinellas.com/ to learn more about the entire plan before the referendum vote on November 4th.