Plans to build a $1.3 billion stadium for Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays in St. Petersburg, Florida, appear to be in jeopardy in the wake of Hurricane Milton and public disagreements between team leaders and local officials.
During a meeting in late October, Pinellas County commissioners postponed a vote on issuing bonds to pay for the county’s share of the new stadium amid concerns about where the team will play home games after the damage at its current stadium, Tropicana Field. Milton’s winds tore through the fabric roof of the stadium’s wire dome, and the rain caused water damage to parts of the building. The team was already planning to build a new stadium before the storm.
While repairs are being made, commissioners want the Rays to play at BayCare Ballpark, which is in the same county and used by the Philadelphia Phillies for spring training. But in a letter the Rays later sent to commissioners, they said they were “unable to get BayCare Ballpark to host regular season Major League Baseball games on Opening Day in March.” The Rays want to use George M. Steinbrenner Field, which is also nearby but located in Hillsborough County.
Delaying the vote until November meant two new county commissioners took office after the adjournment. Apparently, team management believes they no longer have the votes to move the plan forward. At their Nov. 19 meeting, commissioners again kept the vote off until December.
“It has been disconcerting to inform our staff, our partners and our fans that our deal effectively died when the county commission replaced two ‘yes’ votes with two ‘no’ votes,” said the Rays president, Brian Auld, during a meeting in St. Petersburg. Town Hall meeting on November 21.
According to the letter the Rays sent to county officials, even the first postponement delayed the project to the point where the new stadium would not be ready in time for the start of the 2028 baseball season, as had previously planned. Completing the project later could “result in significantly higher costs that we cannot absorb on our own.”
The proposed stadium in St. Petersburg is slated as the anchor of a $6.5 billion redevelopment of the city’s historic gas plant district led by developer Hines. The company did not immediately respond to an inquiry about the development’s future. Contractor Mortenson, which the Rays selected to build the new stadium, also did not immediately respond to questions about the status of the project.
In a Nov. 25 letter to the team reported by the Tampa Bay Times, Pinellas County Commission Chairwoman Kathleen Peters asked the team to formally state its intent for the development and financing agreement of the stadium, which includes about $600 million combined. of the region and the city. He gave the team a deadline of Dec. 1 to indicate in writing that they will move forward or give notice of termination.
“Pinellas County has operated in good faith, working to achieve the stadium deal while balancing the needs of our community following back-to-back hurricanes,” Peters wrote. “If the Rays wish to exit 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.”
County commissioners plan to vote on stadium bonds at their Dec. 17 meeting.
Stadium damage and repairs
At the same time, a team including contractors Hennessy Construction and AECOM Hunt, along with engineering firm Geiger Engineers and other companies, has completed its assessment of hurricane damage at Tropicana Field. The stadium was originally built by AECOM predecessor Hunt, Huber, Hunt & Nichols, and Geiger was the original structural engineer.
St. Petersburg City Architect Raul Quintana said during the last council meeting that repairs are estimated to cost $55.7 million. The building is still structurally sound, as is the dome’s support structure.
The plan is to install new fabric exterior panels similar to the original but with an expected lifespan of less than five years. Some exterior and interior metal cladding panels will need to be redone, as will some administrative areas used by Rays staff. Some electrical systems in the field area were affected by water following the roof damage and some components may need replacement, but the building’s electrical and mechanical systems are otherwise mostly intact.
City staff is aiming to have the repairs completed by next year, Quintana said.
The city council unanimously rejected a pair of resolutions Nov. 21 to approve loans to finance the work and to enter into a design-build agreement with Hennessy for the work, but officials indicated they would retool the proposals before a next council meeting. Under the terms of the stadium use agreement between the city and the Rays, repairs must begin within three months of the damage occurring. Milton made landfall in Florida late on October 9.
