ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — In a 4-to-3 vote, St. Petersburg City Council approved its portion of the funding required to build the Tampa Bay Rays a new stadium and keep the team in St. Pete.
“We are probably not at the end of a little bit of a bumpy path, but we are buckled in and ready to go,” said Councilwoman Gina Driscoll.
Weeks ago, the deal looked dead. The Rays said so themselves.
However, in the Thursday meeting, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said the deal is not dead.
“There is consensus that the agreements that you all approved in July are valid and ‘in effect,’” he said. “I’m using the wording from the Rays.”
As a result, the city council moved forward with its portion of the funding, but the successful vote does not mean the deal is now done.
First, the Pinellas County Commission will have to approve its portion of the funding after delaying a decision twice.
“I’m very hopeful that they will, again, reaffirm the value of the agreement that we signed back in July,” Welch said.
There’s also another problem still remaining. The Rays have said that because of delays, they are experiencing cost increases with the deal, and they will need more money to fill the gap.
“Can you reconfirm your commitment that not one more dime will come from the city?” ABC Action News asked Welch after the meeting.
“The city has committed everything that we will commit to the stadium. If there are shortcomings on the Rays side, they will need to make that up,” Welch answered.
Welch said the Rays had not provided the city with an itemized account of those cost overruns.
Councilwoman Brandi Gabbard said where the additional money comes from is for the Rays to figure out, not the city. According to the agreement signed in July, the Rays are responsible for cost overruns.
“We’re in. We’re a partner in this. Hopefully, the county will follow suit, and then it’ll be up to the Rays to decide," Gabbard said. "It’ll be up to them to go back to their partners and find other funding. If they can’t perform, it’ll be up to them to come back and say they can’t."
The Pinellas County Commission will consider their portion of the funding during a meeting on Dec. 17.
At the advice of the city, the Rays did not attend the Thursday meeting and were not immediately available for comment after the vote.
St. Pete City Council did not discuss potential repairs to the Rays’ current home, Tropicana Field, which was badly damaged during Hurricane Milton. Welch said the city is still discussing options with the Rays.
The Rays are set to play the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
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