The City of Tampa is once again daydreaming about landing a stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, while the City of St. Pete has more or less said good riddance to its latest episode of stadium drama.
St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously last Thursday to terminate its agreement with team ownership to help build a $1.3 billion stadium surrounded by some affordable housing, condos and retail.
The deal—opposed by many in the community—was approved over the summer and started to unravel when the team said it could not hold up its end in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, which tore the roof off Tropicana Field and forced the Rays to play home games in Tampa this season.
The City of St. Petersburg still has to fix the Trop, however, and has already spent almost $44 million so far in repairs. At last Thursday’s city meeting City Architect Raul Quintana told city council that the city is on target to welcome the Rays back to the Trop for the 2026 season.
Officials from the city shared photos from the ongoing repairs last week, adding that roof installation should begin in August and wrap before the new year.
In a statement, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch reflected on the nearly decades spent pursuing the deal and change of heart by the Rays, calling the team’s decision “terribly disappointing” and saying the city was still committed to progress.
“And part of that mission is accomplished by today’s City Council vote. At this moment, the most important step for our City is coming to closure on this agreement so that we can begin to move forward on developing portions of the Historic Gas Plant District. Our initial focus will be on housing, our commitment to the Woodson Museum, and the advancement of a workforce development ecosystem,” he said while mentioning a feasibility study for another topic that will surely divide St. Pete—a convention center.
“The most important element of this is that the development rights of this area, previously held by the Rays since 1995, are now in the hands of the City. This puts us in the strongest position to assure that the future development of the Historic Gas Plant District meets the needs of St. Petersburg and honors the promises of equitable development,” Welch added.
