The St. Petersburg (Fla.) City Council voted 4-3 in favor of approving bonds to fund the public portion of the Tampa Bay Rays’ plans for a new ballpark.
The $1.3 billion project moves on to the much more divisive vote at the county level looming on Dec. 17.
The Pinellas County Commission will hold a vote that day and either approve the bonds, locking the Rays into the deal after a recent contentious back-and-forth between the club and the commission, or deny them, which could leave the team unable to move forward with the project.
Pinellas County is responsible for $312.5 million of the project’s cost and was going to issue bonds to finance it.
The county issued an ultimatum in late November asking the Rays to declare whether they want to commit to building the ballpark. The club’s co-presidents had indicated that construction would not be completed for the 2028 season, while opening a stadium the following year would be too expensive following delays in the bond votes.
At the start of this week, the Rays responded by saying the “various agreements” remain in effect.
“The Rays have fulfilled its obligations to date and continue to wait for decisions and actions by the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County,” co-president Matt Silverman wrote.
The city played its part with Thursday’s vote, though that’s not to be mistaken for a sign of confidence that the Rays have the financing to complete the job.
“Quite frankly, I think we’re calling (the Rays’) bluff … We’re in, we’re a partner in this,” District 2 representative Brandi Gabbard said, per Business Observer FL.
“Hopefully, the county will follow suit and then it’ll be up to the Rays to decide. It’ll be up to them to go back to their partners, go back and find other funding. And then, when they can’t perform, it will be up to them to come back and say they can’t.”
