Funding delays in the wake of Hurricane Milton, which damaged Tropicana Field, the home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, Florida, has led the team’s owner to pull out of a $1.3 billion stadium deal with the city that would have seen a ballpark megaproject anchor a $6.5 billion redevelopment of the city’s historic Gas Plant District.
In July 2024, Pinellas County commissioners approved public financing for the new stadium, but in October, county commissioners voted to delay the approval of bonds, claiming uncertainty after the hurricane ripped through Tropicana Field where the Rays were slated to play until 2028.
In a letter sent to the board in November, Rays team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman said the delays put construction in jeopardy, making its 2028 timeline for opening impossible.
The deal was shrouded in concern, particularly after votes to secure funding from the Pinellas County Commissioners were delayed by persistent economic uncertainty, and an official decision was made regarding the March 31 deadline, which the Rays would not be able to meet. The city will continue to pursue using the Gas Plant District property to fulfill “40-year-old promises of economic development and opportunity made to the African-American community in St. Petersburg.”
The City of St. Petersburg is still working to restore Tropicana Field so it can be used for the 2026 season, with the team set to play home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field, an 11,000-seat facility that is the spring training home of the New York Yankees in Tampa, Florida in the meantime. What the future holds beyond that is yet to be determined. The stadium roof repair is expected to cost more than $55 million.
