Rays must cement stadium, St. Petersburg future, says local Florida politician: ‘Declare your intention’

Pinellas County Commission Chairperson Kathleen Peters delivered a letter to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday requesting the team “officially declare your intention regarding this agreement and whether you intend to see it come to fruition,” according to the Tampa Bay Times. Peters’ letter is the latest development in what’s become a contentious situation between the local government and the team concerning the proposal to build a new ballpark in the area over the coming years.

Peters’ letter requests that the Rays provide a notice of termination by Sunday if they don’t intend to continue down this road. Team owner Stuart Sternberg told The Times last week that repeated delays in funding approval “sent a clear message that we had lost the county as a partner,” and team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman followed with a letter saying that the Rays “stand ready to work on a new solution with any and all willing partners.” The delays, Auld and Silverman said, have made it impossible to expect the new stadium to be ready for the 2028 season as planned.

“Pinellas County has operated in good faith, working toward the stadium deal while balancing the needs of our community after back-to-back hurricanes,” Peters wrote. “If the Rays want out of this agreement, it is your right to terminate the contract. Clear communication about your intentions will be critical to the next steps in this partnership.”

Auld has since issued a statement that reads: “We are eager to work with all partners on a solution for the 2029 season that keeps Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come. As we always have, we will maintain contact with the city and county as we navigate our future.”

Plans for the $1.3 billion stadium included a capacity of 30,000 for baseball and a sloped roof, much like the existent Tropicana Stadium. Larger plans for the surrounding Gas Plant district included 5,400 residential units, 750 hotel rooms, 1.4 million square feet of office and medical space, 750,000 square feet of retail space, a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida, a concert/entertainment venue of 4,000 to 6,000 seats and 14 acres of green space, according to the team.

Just last week, the County Commission elected to delay a vote on the public funding aspect of the Rays’ proposal until Dec. 17. The St. Petersburg City Council, meanwhile, originally voted to authorize more than $23 million to repair the Tropicana Field domed roof, shredded during October’s Hurricane Milton. The City Council subsequently changed course, voting against that action. (The Rays will play their 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees, as well as the home of the Yankees’ A-ball affiliate.)

The Rays, predictably, have resumed partaking in their favorite exercise: saber-rattling about relocation. Team co-president Auld, no stranger to threatening to walk, told reporters last Thursday that there is no longer a deal on the table.  As such, it’s unclear precisely what the future holds for the Rays — in St. Petersburg and overall.