When Jeff Vinik bought the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team in 2010, he was not thinking about becoming the lightning rod for redevelopment of the nation’s 20th largest metro area.

But that’s the way it has worked out, as Vinik — who is going to be a part-time Sarasota resident with the construction of a mansion on St. Armands Key — explained Wednesday evening at a “Meet the Minds” event organized by the Sarasota based Argus Foundation at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota.