St. Pete City Council approves Rays stadium plan in a 5-3 vote
Rendering of the planned baseball stadium and commercial complex in St. Petersburgh for the Tampa Bay Rays. (courtesy: Rays)

Rays stadium complex
Pinellas County will vote next on the proposal, which MLB officials have already approved

By a vote of 5-3, the St. Petersburg City Council approved a plan for the Tampa Bay Rays new $1.3 billion stadium and surrounding development.

The new ballpark is proposed to anchor a $6.5 billion redevelopment plan in the Historic Gas Plant District, where Tropicana Field now sits. The city of St. Petersburg would spend nearly $430 million and sell 65 acres of public land to the Rays. Pinellas County is being asked to contribute $313 million in tourism taxes to the project.

Pinellas County Commissioners are scheduled to vote on the measure on July 30.

Once approved by the county, the Rays plan to begin construction in January, with a targeted completion date before the 2028 season opener.

In a preliminary vote in June, the St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 in favor of the plans with Lisset Hanewicz, Richie Floyd and John Muhammad voting “no” because of the financials and pace of the process. The same three Council members voted against the final deal on Thursday.

In the measure were 12 legally binding agreements with municipal governments, the Rays and their development partners, Hines, to build the Historic Gas Plant District.

The move means the Rays will stay in St. Petersburg instead of moving to Tampa or another city, for the next three decades. The Rays called the campaign “Here to Stay.”

On Wednesday, in advance of the vote, Rays owner Stu Sternberg said regionwide support made it possible.

“The tent is only going to get much larger,” Sternberg said. “We need to convert those who had been naysayers. They don’t have to be rah-rah supporters, but if they can step back and accept what we’re trying to do and be part of it and be rewarded, that would go a long way. We need the entire region and the entire community.”

The Rays have played in Tropicana Field since they joined Major League Baseball in 1998. It is considered one of the worst venues in the big leagues.

Cole Pepper

Cole Pepper has covered professional, college and high school sports in Florida since 1996. Originally from the Kansas City area, Pepper came to Jacksonville to launch a sports radio station, the first step in a career that has included work in radio, television, and online reporting. He was the studio host for the Jaguars radio network for 15 seasons and now consults for JAX USL, the group bringing professional men's and women's soccer to northeast Florida. You can reach Cole at [email protected] or on Twitter @ColePepper


2 comments

  • rbruce

    July 18, 2024 at 5:21 pm

    Thank you Councilwoman Hanewicz. This deal is a disaster. Taxpayers get nothing and the Rays get rich. When am I getting my stock in the Rays?

  • rick whitaker

    July 20, 2024 at 8:22 am

    with a new stadium, it will still be the worst venue in the mlb. why do you people let yourselves get ripped off like that. team owners should pay for 100% of their bills. i am responsible for 100% of my bills.

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