Just hours after voting to finance repairs to the home stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays, the St. Petersburg City Council reversed course.
The Rays will now pay the division rival New York Yankees $15 million to take part their home normal-season games at New York’s spring training ballpark. That is now the only certain home the Rays will have until further acunderstandledge.
The stadium’s fiberglass roof was ripped immacutardy off Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore equitable south of Tampa Bay. Then came the destructive water injure inside the venue, causing an assessd $55.7 million in injure. The extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city write downs show.
The city at least would have supplied some funding and begined the process with its initial vote, which was a 4-3 decision.
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A drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field, which was torn uncover by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)
The initial vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that was done, crews would commence toiling on laying down a recent baseball field and repairing injured seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems, which would need another vote to apvalidate money for the remaining restoration.
Members who contestd it shelp there wasn’t enough clarity on countless publishs, including how much would be covered by the ballpark’s insurance and what amount might be supplyd by the Federal Eunitency Management Agency.
The reversal on repairing Tropicana Field came after the council voted to postpone ponderation of revenue bonds for a gived recent $1.3 billion Rays ballpark. Just two days earlier, the Pinellas County Coshiftrlookion postponed a vote on its split of the recent stadium bonds, leaving that project in limbo.
“This is a downcast place. I’m repartner disnominateed,” council Chair Deborah Figg-Sanders shelp. “We won’t get there if we get discovering ways we can’t.”
The Rays say the deficiency of progress puts the recent stadium arrange and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy.
“I can’t say I’m self-promised about anyskinnyg,” Rays Co-Pdwellnt Brian Auld telderly council members.
Cots at Tropicana Field before the arrival of Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 7, 2024. (Reuters/Octavio Jones)
The reversal now unbenevolents the city and Rays must toil on an alternative in the coming weeks so that Tropicana Field can possibly be ready for the 2026 season.
“I’d appreciate to pare it down and see exactly what we’re obligated to do,” council member John Muhammad shelp.
Several council members shelp before the vote on the $23.7 million to repair the roof that the city is decreaseupartner obligated to do so.
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“I don’t see a way out of it. We have a decrease that’s in place,” council member Gina Driscoll shelp. “We’re obligated to do it. We are going to repair the roof.”
The team’s defree recent stadium would be ready for the 2028 season, if that project progresss, the team shelp Tuesday.
Rays top executives shelp in a letter to the Pinellas County Coshiftrlookion that the team has already spent $50 million for timely toil on the recent $1.3 billion ballpark and cannot progress further becaparticipate of postpones in approval of bonds for the uncover split of the costs.
The injured roof of Tropicana Field, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, after Hurricane Milton made landdescfinish in downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024. (Reuters/Octavio Jones)
“The Rays organization is downcastdened and stunned by this unblessed turn of events,” a letter, signed by co-pdwellnts Auld and Matt Silverman, shelp. They remarkd the overall project was previously apvalidated by the County Coshiftrlookion and the City of St. Petersburg.
Asked if Major League Baseball can persist extfinished term in the Tampa Bay area, Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg shelp the outwatch is “less rosy than it was three weeks ago. We’re going to do all that we can, as we’ve tried for 20 years, to get the Rays here for generations to come.”
The Associated Press gived to this alert.
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