St. Petersburg City Council approves plan to let Rays look for new ballpark

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The St. Petersburg City Council has approved a proposal that would allow the Tampa Bay Rays to look at new ballpark locations, but the city’s mayor doesn’t think the team will agree.

The board voted 5-3 Thursday for a plan that would charge the Rays up to $4 million a year to leave Tropicana Field before their lease ends in 2027, as well as $5 million in additional fees. That means the Rays would pay up to $33 million if they moved in 2020. The amount would depend on whether the team stayed in St. Petersburg, moved to another part of Pinellas County or moved across the bay to neighboring Hillsborough County.

Mayor Rick Kriseman said he’d take the proposal to the Rays but pointed out that the team previously said they wouldn’t pay more than a proposal already rejected by the council.

A Rays official at Thursday’s meeting declined to comment when questioned by local media.

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