ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course.
The reversal on fixing Tropicana Field came after the council voted to delay consideration of revenue bonds for a proposed new $1.3 billion Rays ballpark. Just two days before, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote on its share of the new stadium bonds, leaving that project in limbo.
“This is a sad place. I'm really disappointed,” council chair Deborah Figg-Sanders said. “We won’t get there if we keep finding ways we can’t.”
Council recorded delayed its votes on both the Tropicana Field repair and stadium deal bonds after Rays co-president Brian Auld declared the stadium deal dead.
“I don’t believe we can make the economics around this arrangement work any more," he said.
He blamed Pinellas County commissioners, who back in October delayed a vote on the bonds necessary to fund for the stadium deal, until after the November election.
Then, two new commissioners were voted into office, and Auld believes both are likely ‘no’ votes against the stadium deal’s funding.
“There are more ‘no’ votes than ‘yes’ votes at the county, and that causes a massive issue," he said.
After hearing Auld's bleak assessment, council members questioned if a vote on their portion of the funding would be a waste of time.
“This is an exercise in futility — what we’re doing here," summised council member Lisset Hanewicz.
They delayed any vote until at least Jan. 9, when they plan to hold their next meeting on the topic.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said over the coming days and weeks he will meet with the Rays and attempt to come up with a “modified plan” to save the redevelopment, but he promised St. Pete taxpayers won’t be on the hook for more.
“I’m not bringing back a dime more for the Rays," Welch said twice.
Though council originally greenlit the funds to start repairing Tropicana Field, they reversed course after reading comments from Auld which were made to the media during a break in the meeting.
“Our certainty is actually greater if the decision is made not to repair Tropicana Field," he said.
As Auld explained to the media and later to council, even though the city voted to pay for Tropicana Field repairs in hopes of getting the team back in the Trop by 2026, the team cannot bank on that timeline.
“My understanding of the situation at Tropicana Field is that it is incredibly uncertain, likely to be far more expensive than most of the estimates that are out there, and could take a lot longer to work its way forward," Auld said.
Even if the city moves forward with the repairs, Auld said the Rays will still seek out an alternative place to play in case the repairs aren't completed in time.
As a result, he guided council against the repairs.
“That feels, to me, like a bad use of funds across the entire group," he said.
Council then voted to reconsider its previous vote and unanimously denied the $23 million in repairs.
The only thing certain now is the uncertainty.
“We have a very challenging future ahead of us," Auld said.
The Ray's co-president did say he remains committed to making every effort possible to keep the team in Tampa Bay and renegotiating a deal with the help of Pinellas County and the City of St. Pete.
“In a heartbeat,” he said. “I just would ask you, you know, how realistic that is based on everything we’ve heard in the last few weeks.”
In a statement, St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said:
“While we are disappointed that we are pausing the repair of Tropicana Field and the bond issuance that would finance the city’s contribution to a new stadium, we believe there remains a path forward. My administration is prepared to bring a modified plan back to City Council for their consideration. However, I want to make it clear that this plan will not include additional funds from the City. We maintain our position that the Historic Gas Plant District is an equitable economic driver that will benefit future generations. Ultimately, we remain committed to carrying out our contractual obligations and stand ready to work with our partners in the weeks ahead.”
The Trop's translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million.
According to city documents, the extensive repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB wants to give the Rays and Tampa-area politicians time to figure out a path forward given the disruption caused by the hurricane. Assuming Tropicana Field is repaired, the Rays are obligated to play there for three more seasons.
“We’re committed to the fans in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said at an owners meeting. “Given all that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now.”
The initial vote Thursday — which was ultimately reversed — was to get moving on the roof portion of the repair. Once that's done, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems, which would require another vote to approve money for the remaining restoration.
Members who opposed the repair said there wasn't enough clarity on numerous issues, including how much would be covered by the ballpark's insurance and what amount might be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
They also noted that city residents who are struggling to repair their homes and businesses damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton are dismayed when they see so many taxpayer dollars going to baseball.
“Why are we looking to expend so much money right away when there is so much uncertainty?” council member Richie Floyd said.
The city previously voted to spend $6.5 million to prevent further damage to the unroofed Trop.
The new Rays ballpark — now likely to open in 2029, if at all — is part of a larger urban renovation project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to a predominantly Black neighborhood that was forced out to make way for construction of Tropicana Field and an interstate highway spur.
The broader $6.5 billion project would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract in the city’s downtown, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues, and office and retail space. There’s the promise of thousands of jobs as well.
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