Tampa Bay reacts to Rays stadium deal fallout

ST. PETE, Fla. — The Rays announced Thursday that they will not proceed with the new stadium and surrounding development. The announcement marked the end of a years-long process that the team and city/county thought had been settled last year.

Local leaders, residents, business owners and people all around Tampa Bay reacted to the news.

Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, who has been vocal about his concerns with the entire situation, said Sternberg should be ready to pay for the now-defunct deal.

Councilmember Corey Givens, Jr. said this in a statement:

“I am not surprised by this decision made by the Rays. But I wish the honesty and transparency had come much sooner. We wasted a lot of time and taxpayer funds on nothing. I look forward to reopening the RFP process and going forward with a new deal that includes more of a return on our investment. The Gas Plant District redevelopment will go forward, with or without the Rays.”

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch held a press conference Thursday afternoon to discuss the deal. He said the Rays' move was "a major disappointment" but left the door open for the future.

"This doesn't preclude us if there is new ownership in the next year or two," Mayor Welch said.

Watch Mayor Welch's full press conference:

Only a few words could describe how Rays fans felt learning of the team's newly uncertain future.

“I mean it’s disappointing obviously," said Rays fan Nicole Estes. "In St. Pete, we would love to have them here still.”

“It’s kind of heartbreaking, but I’m kind of hoping that they either come up with a deal to either build a new stadium or to fix the Trop at least so everybody can get back into being in the Tropicana again," said Rays fan Zachery Novo.

"It's sad, right? Because it's part of the community, and where do we go from here is going to be the real challenge," said Rays fan Jeff Heyde.

Even with the back and forth between the team and local leaders, Mark Ferguson, the owner of Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill, remained hopeful.

"I thought for sure that they would go through with the deal, or they'll sell the team and somebody else would go through with the deal," said Ferguson. "Now, we're kind of in limbo."

The deal had critics in the community too.

"This has always been about the fact that the city needs to do right with its resources. Baseball is nice, but baseball does not drive economic growth," said Ron Diner.

Diner is part of the advocate group "No Home Run," which hasn't felt the deal was fair to St. Pete. As for what should happen next, he thinks the property should be developed without a baseball stadium.

"I think this is the right thing for the city, it's the right thing for the county, and quite frankly, I think it's the right thing for the Rays because they'll be much better off, if they can negotiate a deal in Tampa, it'll be much better for the entire region," said Diner.

Representative Kathy Castor released a statement saying:

"Hurricanes Helene and Milton wrecked lives, homes, and community plans for the Gas Plant District and new Rays ballpark. While I am disappointed that the project is no longer moving forward, I trust that this is only a temporary setback to righting wrongs of the past and revitalizing the community. As I often say, ‘a setback is a setup for a comeback’—and the work to build a more resilient St. Pete will continue."

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor posted on social media, expressing interest in speaking with the Rays again.

Rays fans now have to hope that the team and the city/county have a Plan B for Tropicana Field and a new stadium. But, Welch said the communities would overcome this setback.

"We were a community before baseball and we'll be a community after baseball," Welch said.