The Tampa Bay Rays' uncertain bid to obtain more than $300 million in public funding for a new stadium became a little less certain this week. That's because the Rays, in response to procedural delays regarding approval of the necessary bonds, wrote a letter to Pinelas County Commissioners that in part claims vote delays have made it impossible to adhere to the original timeline – one that called for the new baseball-only venue to open in time for the 2028 season. Now, according to the letter signed by team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, the Rays "stand ready to work on a new solution with any and all willing partners."
The letter also read in part:
"That resolution was a formality to be adopted by the commission that approved the project in July, and it was known and accepted that this adoption was needed prior to the Nov. 5 election for the 2028 timeline to be met."
The county commissioners on Tuesday had been scheduled to vote on a $312.5 million bond payment, but instead they opted to delay the vote until Dec. 17. What once looked like a done deal to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg, albeit at great public expense, was undermined by the two major hurricanes that struck the region earlier this year – one which tore the roof off Tropicana Field and necessitated expensive repairs – and by the November elections that changed the composition of the Pinellas County board. Those electoral changes, as detailed by Neil DeMause at Field of Schemes, mean the proposed stadium bonds face long odds of approval regardless of when the final vote takes place.
Prior to Tuesday's events, the board declined to vote on the supplemental bond resolution in late October in part because the ravages of Hurricane Milton had altered the financial landscape of the region. That delay, of course, meant that the new members of the board elected in November would have their say in the process.
The backdrop to all of this is that the Rays, because of the damage to Tropicana Field, will play the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field, the spring-training home of the division-rival Yankees. The Rays' future beyond 2025 already looked a bit nomadic because of the state of the Trop, and now not being able to secure hundreds of millions of public dollars on their preferred timeline has further complicated matters.
In response to the latest twist, St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch, an advocate of funding the project with what amounts to a tourism tax, released the following statement:
"We appreciate the County Commission's partnership and today's discussion of their participation in funding a new Rays stadium. We believe the economic fundamentals, and the long term benefits of the agreements approved in July by all parties, remain valid. We are focused on moving forward with fulfilling our obligations under the existing use agreement. Partnership has always been key to this plan, and the success of the plan going forward largely depends on the commitment of our partners to those agreements. We will continue to work with our partners towards that successful outcome."
Said latest twist is almost certainly not the last one given the complications and circumstances in place. For now, though, the Rays are suggesting the deal is dead. Whether that's posturing and in essence a pressure campaign remains to be seen.
