Timeline
On September 19, 2023, the Tampa Bay Rays announced plans to build a new stadium adjacent to their current stadium, Tropicana Field. [5] The proposal involves redeveloping the entire 86-acre (34.8 ha) site, with the new ballpark within that boundary and adjacent to the current ballpark, which will subsequently be demolished. [6] [7]
The construction is estimated at $1.3 billion, with the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County contributing $600 million through a bed tax (a six percent tax on accommodations on hotels and private homes rented for less than six months), [8] and the team contributing the rest. Factoring in the cash, tax breaks, and discounted land being offered to Rays, the public cost of the project will be $1.5 billion. [9] [10]
Plans call for a 30,000-seat fixed-roof stadium, while the surrounding ballpark village would include 4,800 residences and 1,200 affordable and workforce housing units; about 600 of the latter would be off-site. It would have 1,400,000 square feet (130,064 m2) of office space, 750,000 square feet (69,677 m2) of retail space, a 100,000-square-foot (9,290 m2) conference center, and a 750-room hotel, for a total of $6.5 billion. Unlike Tropicana Field, the stadium will feature operable walls and windows that can be opened on pleasant days or closed to ward off Florida’s summer heat, rain, and humidity. [11] [12]
The development site is planned to encompass 8,000,000 sq ft (743,224 m2) of development, including 48,000 residential units, 1,200 affordable/workforce units, 1,400,000 sq ft (130,064 m2) office/medical space, 750,000 sq ft (69,677 m2) of retail space, 750 hotel rooms, a 4,000 seat concert venue, 30,000 capacity ballpark, 100,000 sq ft (9,290 m2) conference/meeting space, 50,000 sq ft (4,645 m2) non-profit community space, 14 acres (5.7 ha) of parks/open space and 14,000 parking stalls. [2]
The site is known as the Historic Gas Plant District, described by the city of St. Petersburg: [13]
Nearly 40 years ago, members of the Historic Gas Plant community were displaced by the ultimately successful pursuit of Major League Baseball and the eventual construction of what is now Tropicana Field. While the move brought our city the Tampa Bay Rays, originally known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, residents and businesses were forced to relocate with the promise of jobs, opportunity, and equitable development, which did not materialize.
On April 25, 2024, the development team released documents on the 65 acres (26.3 ha) of development surrounding the ballpark before the May 9 city council meeting. [14] [15]
On July 18, 2024, the St. Petersburg City Council approved a financing deal to build the stadium. After three hours of presentations and discussion, council members voted 5–3 to approve a dozen legally binding documents between the city, Pinellas County, the Rays and their development partner, Hines. They also swiftly approved issuing municipal bonds to help pay for the city’s share of stadium costs, $287.5 million, and for roads and sewers around it, another $142 million. The Rays will contribute $700 million to the stadium. They are responsible for all cost overruns on the stadium and infrastructure for the Historic Gas Plant District, as well as all insurance, maintenance and repairs to the stadium. The team will keep all revenue from tickets and concessions, broadcasting, and naming rights. [16]
On July 30, 2024, Pinellas County commissioners approved funding for a new ballpark. Commissioners voted 5–2 to put $312.5 million toward the design and building of a new ballpark. The money will come from tourist development tax dollars, which the county can legally spend on a narrow range of projects meant to induce tourism, including sports venues. The Rays and Hines plan to begin building the stadium in early 2025, having it ready for Opening Day in 2028. [17] [18]
Hurricane Milton made landfall along Florida's Suncoast on October 9, 2024, and the impact from the storm (including significant damage to the roof of Tropicana Field) impacted the schedule of the project. The Rays will not play at Tropicana Field in 2025 due to this damage, which could possibly necessitate a more urgent need for this stadium if they decide to never play at Tropicana again. [19]
On November 19, 2024, it was reported that the stadium deal with Pinellas County was beginning to fall through due to a combination of the damage from Hurricanes Helene and Milton as well as the decision for the Rays to spend the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field across the bay in Tampa proper instead of a spring training stadium in the county. Stu Sternberg has warned that if the Rays are not able to get a new stadium, they may leave the Tampa Bay area. [20] [21] Later that day, it was confirmed that the vote for bonds funding the stadium would be delayed, thus suspending the project. Later that month, the Rays were informed that they had until December 1 to let Pinellas County know about if they were still interested in building the stadium in the county.
On November 30, 2024, the team stuck to the position that all agreements for the deal approved in July are still in effect until a party terminates them or deadlines are missed. In a letter to Pinellas County, the Rays stated, "the Rays 'would not have gone forward with the project if a future County Commission had the ability to revoke the approval celebrated in July or unilaterally delay the project’s completion into 2029.'" [22]
On December 5, 2024, St. Petersburg City Council in favor of purchasing bonds that would fund a portion of the new Rays stadium and the redevelopment of the Gas Plant District. The council voted four to three to move forward with a $290 million bond purchase to pay for a new stadium deal and the development of the land around it. As of this date, funding from Pinellas County is still pending.
