Rays' stadium plan is all but dead
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The Trop lies in ruin. So does the deal for what was supposed to be the Rays' home of the future. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays' stadium plan is all but dead.
Why it matters: The deal's apparent implosion at Thursday's St. Petersburg City Council meeting furthers uncertainty over the future of baseball in the city and what will become of Tropicana Field and the surrounding land.
State of play: Like county commissioners earlier this week, City Council members were set Thursday to vote on bonds to finance the city's portion of the stadium plan.
- Then, speaking publicly for the first time since the deal took a nosedive, Rays president Brian Auld made clear that, from the team's perspective, there's no moving forward with the current agreement.
- Based on those comments, city administrator Rob Gerdes told council members he'll seek a termination letter from the Rays.
- That would officially kill the deal and, because the cancellation would come from the team, put the city in a better position to salvage redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District surrounding the stadium site.
What's next is anyone's guess. Team leaders previously indicated they want to find a way for the Rays to stay in Tampa Bay.
- Mayor Ken Welch said in a statement Thursday night that his administration is "prepared to bring a modified plan back to City Council for their consideration."
- "We believe there remains a path forward," he said. "However, I want to make it clear that this plan will not include additional funds from the City."
Between the lines: In light of all the unknowns, City Council members ultimately took the same action as their county counterparts, pushing the bond vote to a later date.
- They also weighed whether to greenlight $24 million to repair the roof of the Trop, which was ripped off by Hurricane Milton.
- While council members initially approved the funding, they took the extraordinary step of reversing course.
What they're saying: "The rationale ... is that we have even greater uncertainty now than we had before as to the future of the city of St. Petersburg and the Rays," Council Member Brandi Gabbard said, per WUSF.
- "I'm just not quite ready to put (the money) towards something with an entity that we may never have a deal with again."