City of St. Pete officially cuts ties with Rays stadium deal

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — It’s an ending to a long journey, involving the City of St. Pete, Pinellas County leaders, and the Tampa Bay Rays.

After years of planning, the City of St. Pete said its final goodbyes to the rays stadium project.

Most people in St. Pete agree on one thing: they are ready to let go of the past…and move the City of St. Pete forward.

WATCH: City of St. Pete officially cuts ties with Rays stadium deal

It’s a bittersweet moment for many.

“I feel disappointed, but I see why the city needs to do it, cut those ties," said Mark Ferguson, owner of Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill.

For others, it's a relief.

“The way we look at it, the deal was bad; it always was bad. We aren’t sad to see it go," said William Kilgore with the St. Pete Tenant's Union.

The stadium deal that we’ve all heard about time and time again over the last several years…has finally come to an official end.

The Rays ended the deal back in March after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off of Tropicana Field, and the city officially terminated the deal at a city council meeting on Thursday.

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Over the years there has been a lot of debate about whether the deal was good for the community or not.

Kilgore said the original deal didn’t benefit taxpayers…and he wants to see the Tropicana Field used in other ways.

"That land needs to be put to good use and put to use for working people and put to use in terms of housing. Not just new luxury condos that we see here in the Edge District, but housing that working people on any income can afford," said Kilgore.

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On the other hand, many business owners were excited for the deal…as it promised more benefits for small businesses and development in the St. Pete area.

Owner of Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill, Mark Ferguson, wants to see the city renegotiate a new deal with the team.

“We employ over 120 people here, and that’s a lot of families and they make money off of baseball, they make money off of football and being nice to people, but that’s a big chunk of it, baseball season," said Ferguson.

A big part of the deal included promises made to the people who were displaced from the Historic Gas Plant District…including jobs and growth opportunities.

Sierra Clarke’s grandparents lived in the Historic Gas Plant District…and said whatever happens with the future of the property, it should be decided by those residents who were forced to leave so many years ago.

"Displacement is a wound that can’t just be covered up by superficial lies and big words. It shows in your actions, it shows in the budget. What are you doing with your money,” said Clarke.

For now, the city is required to repair Tropicana Field so the Rays can play through 2028. The roof is expected to be repaired by December.