The deal to keep the Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg may be on life support.
Tuesday's vote by Pinellas County commissioners to again delay the purchase of bonds to build a new stadium for the baseball team could be the end of the line.
The bonds are needed to pay the county's $312.5 million share of the $1.3 billion stadium, which would be part of a $6.5 billion Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment.
The 6-1 vote to delay the decision for another month came hours after the Rays sent a letter to the county that said a previously delayed vote set back the construction timetable a year, increasing costs for the team it cannot afford.
Commissioner Rene Flowers was the no vote.
The commission had voted 6-1 last month to delay a bond vote over concerns over where the Rays would play this season after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field.
SEE MORE: New photos show how much damage Milton caused at Tropicana Field
Commission Chair Kathleen Peters said it appeared the Rays were backing out of the deal, a financial partnership involving the county, city and team.
“I don't think they play well in the sandbox,” she said. “I think they are not great partners. They're demonstrating that by that letter. And I think they want to take their toys and go back home and start over and renegotiate.”
Vice Chair Brian Scott — who previously backed the deal — agreed.
"At this point, you can only conclude one of a couple of things," Scott said. "Either (Rays owner Stuart) Sternberg wants out of the deal, he wants to renegotiate the deal and he wants to hang the failure on the county commission, particularly on our newest members."
Recently elected commissioners Chris Scherer and Vince Nowicki,, who were sworn in this week, ran on platforms opposing the stadium agreement.
Peters said her reason for wanting the delay was to allow Scherer and Nowicki to study the background and "talk to the other side" about the importance of the redevelopment project.
What had looked like a done deal may be done in by the double whammy of hurricanes Helene and Milton. Both storms devastated Pinellas beaches, while Milton destroyed the Teflon roof of Tropicana Field, among other damage.
The tourist tax ─ a 6% surcharge collected from short-term accommodations ─ can be used only for tourist and economic development expenses. That would include the stadium and the beach communities recover.
Peters said she'd prefer waiting to hear how much help the county can expect to receive from the federal government for the beaches before committing to the stadium.
The letter from the Rays said they could not move forward with the current deal, but they're ready to work on "a new solution" to remain in St. Petersburg.
The new stadium was slated to open for the 2028 season, but the Rays now say it would not be ready until 2029. The Rays' lease at Tropicana Field ends in 2027.
The letter said the Rays had already spent $50 million on preconstruction work, but they could not afford to bear the financial burden of a one-year delay in the construction of the replacement for Tropicana Field.
Under the contract, the Rays and development partner Hines agreed to cover $700 million for stadium costs and any construction overruns.
It's estimated that the city's cost to replace Tropicana Field's roof would be at least $55 million. However, those repairs aren't expected to be complete until the 2026 season, forcing the Rays to seek a temporary venue.
The team has inked a deal with the New York Yankees to play its 2025 regular season outdoors at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa. The 11,000-seat facility is the Yankees' spring training home.
At least one commissioner, Chris Latvala, has pushed for the Rays to consider using 8,500-seat BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater next season. That stadium is the spring home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
In their letter, the Rays said they considered Pinellas spring training ballparks for their temporary home, but did not think they could get the Clearwater facility ready by opening day in March.
Steinbrenner Field will already have much of the required major league facilities and player amenities, such as a home clubhouse and upgraded stadium lights.
St. Petersburg City Council members are scheduled to vote Thursday on their portion of the deal: $417.5 million, with $287.5 million for the stadium and $130 million for infrastructure
It's unclear how the county delay will affect that vote.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has been one of the primary forces behind the stadium project. He issued this statement after the county's vote:
“We appreciate the County Commission’s partnership and today’s discussion of their participation in funding a new Rays stadium. We believe the economic fundamentals, and the long-term benefits of the agreements approved in July by all parties, remain valid.
"We are focused on moving forward with fulfilling our obligations under the existing use agreement. Partnership has always been key to this plan, and the success of the plan going forward largely depends on the commitment of our partners to those agreements. We will continue to work with our partners towards that successful outcome.”
