The Rays new stadium plan might lose its funding
Here’s why.
The Tampa Bay Rays new $1.3 billion stadium, nestled in the middle of the 80-acre Gas Plant District redevelopment led by the Rays organization, is at risk of losing its public funding.
There were always those opposed to using public funds for a stadium, but those voices got new energy after Pinellas County suffered the effects of two hurricanes within just a few weeks.
Indeed, it would seem it’s much harder to allocate $600 million in tax dollars toward a new stadium when homes and beaches were destroyed and when the region’s infrastructure and public services have buckled in the face of repeat disasters.
In late October and early November, the Pinellas County Commission and St. Petersburg City Council have delayed votes to initiate bonds that would pay the public’s agreed upon share.
The November 5 elections then brought a new cast of characters to both local legislative bodies, and some of the new votes are stadium skeptics.
As we put this all together — new demands on public funds and newly elected officials who never agreed to the stadium deal — and both Pinellas County’s $312.5 million and St. Petersburg’s $287.5 million commitments are at risk of getting blown into tatters, much like the Trop’s roof.
Why Pinellas County might not approve their funding
Earlier this year, Pinellas County had voted to float bonds for stadium funding using Tourism Development Tax revenue as backing; these bonds were approved with a 5-2 vote with Commissioners Chris Latvala and Dave Eggers in opposition. Well, fast forward to November 6th, Latvala and Eggers remain on the council but two of the earlier “yes” votes were gone, replaced by Vince Nowicki and Chis Scherer.
These new commissioners were not fans of the stadium deal: According to the Tampa Bay Times both of the new Commissioners had campaigned against this deal, which led the Rays to donate ~$150,000 toward organizations that funded attack ads against them, which may have made these Commissioners even less fond of the new stadium deal.
But loudest noises about backing out on stadium commitments took off as the Rays began searching for a place to play given the damage to Tropicana Field.
Pinellas County demanded assurances the Rays would not leave the County from 2025-2027 when they delayed their vote to November. And while the Rays have championed their “Here to Stay” motto to express their long-term commitment to the county, they have been loath to make commitments for the coming year(s) given the uncertainty of Tropicana Field repairs and the requirements sure to come from MLB and the MLBPA.
Should the team promise to play in Pinellas County if there is no major league stadium available? Can they even make such a promise?
If the Rays can devise assurances, perhaps by attending in person a Pinellas County meeting on November 19 where the vote to approve $312.5 million in bonds is set to occur, there may be an opportunity to save the County’s portion of the funding.
Why the City of St. Petersburg might not approve their funding
The eight member City Council, which controls the Rays use agreement at Tropicana Field and has been intimately involved in the Rays Stadium Saga, has had its own November shakeup, although the two new councilmembers — Mike Harting, who also was opposed by the aforementioned Rays-funded political action committees, and Corey Givens, who has been critical of any funds going to support the Rays stadiums — will not take office until 2025.
Harting fills the vacancy of Councilmember Montanari, who had to resign his position to attempt a run for statewide office. That seat will remain vacant until Harting takes over.
Meanwhile, Givens will be occupying the seat currently held by Councilman Muhammad, who was appointed to fill a vacancy in October 2022, who has opposed the Rays stadium deal; he did not seek re-election. Muhammad will remain in office through the calendar year.
In his first interview after winning his seat, Givens told WFLA he would not have voted for funds being approved to clean up debris within Tropicana Field, instead claiming taxpayer dollars should be used for helping individual victims of the hurricanes, noting 10,000 homes were reportedly damaged:
“I don’t want to be in the business of bailing out baseball,” Givens said. “I want to be in the business of helping people. Right now there are a lot of people who are still reeling from the effects of the two hurricanes that we experienced recently, flooding, and water inundation. I want to be there for them. I want to let them know that they have a partner in me here at City Hall.”
[WFLA]
Givens suggested in the same interview the Rays utilize Al Lang Field for the next three years if Tropicana Field is unplayable. The Council is expecting to receive a damage report on the state of Tropicana Field sometime this week.
Currently St. Pete’s Council is scheduled to vote to initiate their $287.5 million in funding toward a new Rays stadium on November 21 with only 7 voting members, among which 4 voted for the Rays deal earlier this year: Councilmembers Figgs-Sanders (Chair), Driscoll, Gerdes and Gabbard.
It is not clear if the City Council may delay their vote until all members are seated. If they did delay into the new year, Givens may align with the ongoing opposition within the City Council to the Rays stadium project, as noted earlier this year by Fox 13:
The city is now on the hook for $700 million dollars in bonds, debt, infrastructure and land swaps, which brought fierce criticism. One councilor said it is purely corporate welfare.
“It’s not that we can’t get good things out of this project. We will get good things out of this project,” said councilor Richie Floyd, who voted no. “It’s just that all of those things combined don’t amount to how much we are spending on a stadium.”
A 4-4 vote against approving the bonds to fund the new Rays Stadium could prevent the construction from moving forward, as would a 3-4 vote on November 21 if any of the the four councilmembers have had a change of heart due to the hurricanes.
In short, a stadium and redevelopment deal that seemed to be firmly in place just two months ago is now very much up in the air.