ST. PETERSBURG — The City Council on Thursday adopted via with approving bonds to fund its portion of a $1.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and the encompassing Historic Gas Plant District.
The 4-3 resolution, in step with previous votes taken on the stadium and redevelopment, now leaves it to the Pinellas County Commission to probably have the ultimate say on the deal. On Dec. 17, the fee may approve their bonds and lock the Rays and its improvement accomplice Hines into the price overruns the crew now says it could’t afford, or vote no and presumably depart a $312.5 million gap within the challenge.
Council member Gina Driscoll, who pushed for the delay when the council final met Nov. 21, mentioned the town wanted then to take a breath. Tensions at that assembly had boiled over as Rays president Brian Auld indicated the deal was lifeless and City Administrator Rob Gerdes requested for an official letter terminating the deal, which by no means got here.
Driscoll, together with council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Copley Gerdes and Brandi Gabbard, voted to take out bonds to finance $287.5 million for the stadium and $142 million for roads and sewers within the Gas Plant. Council members Lisset Hanewicz, Richie Floyd and John Muhammad voted no.
“Are the Rays on the verge of sending a termination letter? Turns out they weren’t. They’re nonetheless in. And so am I,” Driscoll mentioned, urging the county to “do their half and be part of us to see this via.”
Still unknown, nonetheless, is whether or not the Rays can perform their finish of the deal authorised by the town and county in July. Team presidents Auld and Matt Silverman wrote a letter earlier than a fee assembly final month stating the membership may now not afford to open a ballpark in 2029, a 12 months later than deliberate, following delays within the bond votes. The Rays are on the hook for $700 million for the stadium, plus all overages.
That led to the county and metropolis delaying votes and beginning a back-and-forth in correspondence between the fee chairperson and the Rays. Silverman had a change of tone in his final letter, saying the present agreements are nonetheless “in impact” and the membership awaits selections from the town and county.
Before the council’s vote, Mayor Ken Welch, the architect of the deal, mentioned Rays proprietor Stuart Sternberg and his crew attended a gathering at City Hall on Tuesday. Welch instructed the council there’s “consensus” that the agreements authorised in July are “legitimate and in impact,” although “important points” stay concerning the Rays’ stadium obligations.
“The discussions had been productive, and our choices have gotten clearer,” Welch mentioned.
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The Rays weren’t current on the council assembly Thursday, which irked Hanewicz, a staunch critic of the deal and its authorized language. In a textual content message to the Tampa Bay Times after the assembly, Silverman mentioned, “We respect that the St. Petersburg City Council took motion on this merchandise at the moment.”
City Administrator Rob Gerdes mentioned the Rays supplied to attend, however he mentioned he instructed them it wasn’t obligatory to return. Hanewicz mentioned she spoke to Silverman and was instructed the Rays determined to not come.
“There’s no dedication to maneuver ahead,” she mentioned. “There’s no readability. That’s what is going to occur with all of the agreements between the events, and that is how a 30-year relationship is in the end starting.”
Gerdes mentioned the town’s conversations with the Rays targeted on the funding hole the Rays “understand.” He mentioned the personal sector may fill in these gaps with suite and identify sponsorship rights. When Hanewicz requested what the funding hole is, Gerdes mentioned he didn’t know.
“As Mayor (Welch) clearly acknowledged, we can’t financially make up that hole,” Gerdes mentioned.
At the start of the assembly, Hanewicz objected to including the votes on the bonds to the agenda with solely a day’s discover to the general public. Muhammad and Floyd voted together with her to reject the assembly’s agenda, nevertheless it handed anyway. The metropolis just isn’t legally required to promote discover for the bond resolutions.
The stadium deal, an elusive feat 17 years within the making, appeared like a achieved deal, because the bond votes had been considered as a formality. But then got here hurricanes Helene and Milton, the latter storm shredding the roof on Tropicana Field and creating one other drawback about the place the Rays would play their 2025 season. The crew has introduced plans to play dwelling video games at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, the place the New York Yankees play spring coaching video games, subsequent 12 months.
Concessionaire Levy Restaurants formally instructed workers their jobs at Tropicana Field had been terminated at 12 months’s finish.
Workers had been notified through electronic mail that with the stadium unusable for now, the corporate’s operations had been “on maintain till additional discover” and their “employment will likely be terminated as of Dec. 31.”
Some may have an choice to switch to a different facility serviced by Levy, such because the Florida State Fairgrounds. (Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field and Raymond James Stadium are serviced by Legends Hospitality, and Amalie Arena makes use of Cur(ate) TPA.)
Michele Dyson, a 10-year bartender at Tropicana Field, shared the Levy information in talking to the council in assist of the bonds deal.
In her feedback, Dyson mentioned: “I’m right here to remind you that each time you vote your selections have a direct influence on individuals’s lives, regardless of the subject. Please always remember that. So I’m right here in assist of the brand new Rays baseball stadium and the influence it has on this group.”
The council is scheduled to vote on whether or not to approve $1.45 million to rent a contractor to design plans for Tropicana Field’s roof alternative subsequent week. The council final month rejected spending $23.7 million to restore the roof after Auld mentioned the crew most well-liked a no vote as a result of it didn’t imagine the brand new roof may very well be in place by the 2026 season, and the membership may search different plans.
The hurricane additionally delayed bond votes previous the November election, permitting for brand spanking new members unfavorable to the deal to affix the County Commission. Before the assembly, Commissioner Vince Nowicki stood by as just a few members of an organized group towards the stadium deal, No Home Run, held a information convention on the steps of City Hall urging the council to vote no.
Nowicki later emailed all council members urging them to vote no to “pressure a greater deal for the town and the county.”
The Rays are the one social gathering within the agreements with the facility to again out of the cope with an official discover. It’s not clear what would occur if the county votes no on their bonds.
“If that doesn’t occur, after all, that units us on a special path,” Welch mentioned. “We will decide one of the best path if that takes place. I’m very hopeful that they are going to once more reaffirm the 30-year worth of the settlement that we signed again in July to maneuver ahead.”
Times workers author Marc Topkin contributed to this report.
