St. Petersburg backs a new $1.3B ballpark for the Rays. Now it’s up to Pinellas County

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ potential new ballpark got a boost Thursday when the St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve the bonds necessary to finance the $1.3 billion stadium.

This is only part of the deal. The Pinellas County Commission also must decide whether to approve its share, with a vote set later in December. Meanwhile, the Rays will play this season in the New York Yankees’ spring training site, Steinbrenner Field in Tampa because of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field.

The Rays have said it is impossible to play at the Trop next year and maybe not until 2026. The vote Thursday was to issue bonds that could finance a new stadium, perhaps by the 2028 season. It came after the county hedged on the financing deal, while the overall plan was approved by the city and county last summer.

The ballpark is part of a larger $6,5 billion project called the Historic Gas Plant District, which is an urban restoration effort aimed at righting a wrong when Black people were moved out so that Tropicana Field and a highway could be built on prime land in downtown St. Petersburg.

“There’s more to it for me than just baseball. We are upholding our part of the bargain,” said Deborah Figgs-Sanders, chair of the St. Petersburg City Council. “We honored our deal.”

Now it’s up to the Pinellas County Commission to decide to issue bonds that would be paid for by tourist taxes that can’t be spent on such things as hurricane recovery. That meeting is set for Dec. 17.

The Rays have had no comment. The team has previously said they are abiding by the current agreement and intend to stay in St, Petersburg.

The Rays’ home since 1998, the domed Tropicana Field was hit hard by Hurricane Milton on Oct. 9, with most of its fabric roof shredded and water damage inside. The city of St. Petersburg, which owns the Trop, released an assessment of the damage and repair needs that estimated the cost at $55.7 million.