Florida city council changes mind on paying to repair Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark after hurricane ripped roof off

Just hours aft voting to concern repairs to the location stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays, the St. Petersburg City Council reversed course. 

The Rays volition present wage the part rival New York Yankees $15 cardinal to play their location regular-season games astatine New York's spring grooming ballpark. That is present the lone definite location the Rays volition person until further notice. 

The stadium's fiberglass extortion was ripped cleanable disconnected Oct. 9 erstwhile Hurricane Milton swept ashore conscionable southbound of Tampa Bay. Then came the destructive h2o harm wrong the venue, causing an estimated $55.7 cardinal successful damage. The extended repairs cannot beryllium finished earlier the 2026 season, metropolis documents show.

The metropolis astatine slightest would person supplied immoderate backing and started the process with its archetypal vote, which was a 4-3 decision.

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A drone representation shows the dome of Tropicana Field, which was torn unfastened by Hurricane Milton successful St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024.  (Bryan R. Smith/AFP via Getty Images)

The archetypal ballot Thursday was to get moving connected the extortion information of the repair. Once that was done, crews would statesman moving connected laying down a caller shot tract and fixing damaged seating and bureau areas and a assortment of physics systems, which would necessitate different ballot to o.k. wealth for the remaining restoration.

Members who opposed it said determination wasn’t capable clarity connected galore issues, including however overmuch would beryllium covered by the ballpark’s security and what magnitude mightiness beryllium provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

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The reversal connected fixing Tropicana Field came aft the assembly voted to hold information of gross bonds for a projected caller $1.3 cardinal Rays ballpark. Just 2 days earlier, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a ballot connected its stock of the caller stadium bonds, leaving that task successful limbo.

"This is simply a bittersweet place. I’m truly disappointed," assembly Chair Deborah Figg-Sanders said. "We won’t get determination if we support uncovering ways we can’t."

The Rays accidental the deficiency of advancement puts the caller stadium program and the aboriginal of Tropicana Field successful jeopardy.

"I can’t accidental I’m assured astir anything," Rays Co-President Brian Auld told assembly members.

Cots astatine Tropicana Field earlier the accomplishment of Hurricane Milton successful St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 7, 2024.    (Reuters/Octavio Jones)

The reversal present means the metropolis and Rays indispensable enactment connected an alternate successful the coming weeks truthful that Tropicana Field tin perchance beryllium acceptable for the 2026 season.

"I’d similar to pare it down and spot precisely what we’re obligated to do," assembly subordinate John Muhammad said.

Several assembly members said earlier the ballot connected the $23.7 cardinal to hole the extortion that the metropolis is contractually obligated to bash so.

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"I don’t spot a mode retired of it. We person a declaration that’s successful place," assembly subordinate Gina Driscoll said. "We’re obligated to bash it. We are going to hole the roof."

The team's planned caller stadium would beryllium acceptable for the 2028 season, if that task advances, the squad said Tuesday.

Rays apical executives said successful a missive to the Pinellas County Commission that the squad has already spent $50 cardinal for aboriginal enactment connected the caller $1.3 cardinal ballpark and cannot proceed further due to the fact that of delays successful support of bonds for the nationalist stock of the costs.

The damaged extortion of Tropicana Field, location of Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays, aft Hurricane Milton made landfall successful downtown St. Petersburg, Fla., Oct. 10, 2024.   (Reuters/Octavio Jones)

"The Rays enactment is saddened and stunned by this unfortunate crook of events," a letter, signed by co-presidents Auld and Matt Silverman, said. They noted the wide task was antecedently approved by the County Commission and the City of St. Petersburg.

Asked if Major League Baseball tin past agelong word successful the Tampa Bay area, Rays Principal Owner Stuart Sternberg said the outlook is "less rosy than it was 3 weeks ago. We're going to bash each that we can, arsenic we've tried for 20 years, to support the Rays present for generations to come."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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