The Tampa Bay Rays are getting money to build a new ballpark — apparently whether the team wants it or not.
The St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve bonds that would help fund a new $1.3 billion ballpark project and development in the region’s Historic Gas Plant District on Thursday. The vote passed by a 4-3 margin.
Up next is a vote by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners to approve its part of the deal in stadium bonds. That vote will take place Dec. 17. The Rays will have to fund the remainder of the project.
Previously, the Rays said that the deal was dead. Team co-president Brian Auld expressed concern to council members over the Pinellas County board’s delays and likely costs for the team that would exceed what was outlined in the original agreement.
Breaking: The St. Petersburg City Council just voted 4-3 to approve $287.5M in bonds for the Rays new $1.3B stadium and $142M for Gas Plant infrastructure. The vote now tees up Pinellas Commissioners who’ll vote on their $312.5M bond portion on Dec. 17. @BN9 pic.twitter.com/AYp5z6AbSc
— Josh Rojas (@JoshRojasBN9) December 5, 2024
However, council member Brandi Gabbard revealed that the vote likely passed to call the Rays’ bluff attempting to back out of the deal in an effort to restructure their financial obligation.
“We need to move this forward, because quite frankly, I think we’re calling their bluff by doing so,” Gabbard said before the vote. “We put it out there, we’re in. We’re a partner in this. Hopefully, the county will follow suit.
“And then it will be up to the Rays to decide. It will be up to them to go back to their partners — go back and find other funding. And then when they can’t perform, it’ll be up to them to come back and say they can’t.”
Still yet to be determined is funding for the $55.7 million projected cost for repairing Tropicana Field to allow the Rays to play there during the 2026 MLB season. The St. Petersburg City Council initially approved spending $23.7 million for the project, only to reverse that decision in a second vote.
The Rays have already announced that they will play their home games for 2025 at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees and home ballpark for their Class A affiliate, the Tampa Tarpons.
Weather concerns (humidity) compelled MLB to swap Rays home games with the Los Angeles Angels and Minnesota Twins. As a result, the Rays will play 64 of their last 108 games on the road. That includes eight home games in July and August.
