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After the hurricane winds tore through the roof of Tropicana Field In the past month, the construction of the Tampa Bay Rays’ new $1.3 billion home stadium has become a question mark.
Team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman said the organization would not be able to move forward with the project under the current deal after the Pinellas County Board of Commissioners twice delayed the approval of the bonds that would provide public financing for the project.
Auld and Silverman claimed in a letter obtained by the Tampa Bay Times that they had met the requirements for bond approval, including spending $50 million to that point, and even though they knew that after the hurricane Milton damaged the Trop they should find a new venue for their home games, they believed the new park would be ready by 2028.
“We informed our many architects, builders and consultants that our agreement had not been honored by the county,” the letter said. “We have suspended the works of the whole project: the stadium and the Historical development of the gas plant district.”
The planned stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, was to serve as the centerpiece of the upcoming $6.5 billion gas plant development historic district. In July, Skanska announced that it had won the contract serve as the owner’s representative in the development of the Gas Plant, as well as for the design and construction of the stadium.
Skanska declined to comment on the team’s letter.
According to the initial agreementthe city of St. Petersburg agreed to spend $417.5 million in the district, including $287.5 million for the stadium, and the county pledged $312.5 million in tourism revenue for the stadium. The The Rays would pay more than half of the costs of the stadium, as well as any overage.
In July, Pinellas commissioners approved public funding for the stadium. But in October, county commissioners voted to delay bond approval, citing uncertainty after Milton tore the roof off the Trop, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
In the letter sent to the board Tuesday, Auld and Silverman said they had no indication the board would not approve the bonds in October, calling it a “formality” after the July approval and saying meant the team was unable to meet the 2028 timeline.
Commissioners will reassess the bond issue on Dec. 17, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
A report in the city of St. Petersburg obtained by AP News indicated that repairing the roof of the Trop before the start of the 2026 season it would cost $55.7 million. The city owns the stadium, but damage insurance includes a $22 million deductible, so it would only cover a portion of the overall repair costs, according to AP News.
Rays presidents, meanwhile, said the team will play its 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
