Tampa Bay Rays Stadium Rays Deal In Jeopardy After Commission Vote

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The Tampa Bay Rays Tropicana Field redevelopment deal has been put on hold after the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners deferred a Tuesday vote to adopt a supplemental bond resolution and approve the form of documents for the financing of the new stadium.

In a 6-1 vote, the board decided to instead move the discussion to the Dec. 17 meeting to give commissioners an opportunity to have additional questions answered and review additional public comment, a news release from the county said. A companion public hearing was also postponed to Dec. 17.

The vote was previously delayed on Oct. 29 because commissioners had questions about where the team would play after destructive winds and rain from Hurricane Milton destroyed Tropicana Field’s roof and turf.

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Earlier this month, the Rays announced that they would play the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the New York Yankees spring training facility in Tampa.

In a recent letter to commissioners, the Rays said that with a delay to the vote, the new ballpark, which is part of the redevelopment of 86 acres in St. Petersburg’s Historic Gas Plant District, can’t be completed by the 2028 season as the team initially planned, ABC Action News reported.

Opening a new stadium in 2029 would be too expensive, the team said.

"As we have informed the county administrator and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, the county’s failure to finalize the bonds last month ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of the ballpark," the Rays said in their letter, according to ABC Action News.

The stadium agreement between the county and the Rays does not outline a specific timeframe for the county to issue bonds, according to the news release.

The Rays must also meet several requirements, including among other things providing an updated project budget and schedule, before the county would be required to issue the bonds, the county said.

The stadium agreement is separate from the city of St. Petersburg’s Gas Plant Redevelopment District agreement with the Rays and their development partner, Hines Group. Board action on the bonds has no contractual impact on the terms of that agreement, the county said.

This summer, the Pinellas County Commission and St. Petersburg City Council approved the final pieces needed to move forward with the construction of a new stadium for the Rays.

The team initially said it would be completed by opening day of the 2028 season.

County commissioners voted 5-2 on July 30 to dedicate about $312.5 million in bed tax revenue for construction of the new ballpark.

Their decision came on the heels of the St. Petersburg City Council’s July 18 5-3 vote approving a development deal with the Rays for the district.

The development deal calls for a $287.5 million commitment by the city for construction of a new stadium and $142 million for infrastructure improvements.

The Rays, working with Texas-based developers Hines, were chosen last year to redevelop 86 acres in the district, including Tropicana Field.

The full redevelopment of the neighborhood, a $1.3 billion project, will span more than 8 million square feet, including more than 5,000 residential units, 600 affordable/workforce housing units on site and another 650 units elsewhere in the city, 1.4 million square feet of office/medical space, and 750 hotel rooms.

The stadium itself will have a capacity of about 30,000 and boast a three-deck design with various seating types, including premium clubs and suits, flexible viewing areas, decks, and social gathering spaces.