ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Now that the Rays ballpark and Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment have been approved, what comes next?

Pinellas County commissioners gave the final stamp of approval on the stadium deal, voting 5-2 in favor of the project and the county agreeing to contribute $313 million through a bed tax, or tourist tax, to the $1.3 billion project.

This follows the City of St. Petersburg’s support as well, after they approved their portion of the project earlier in July.

At a news conference Wednesday morning, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch thanked members of the Rays, the development county Hines and members of his staff he said worked tirelessly on the deal.

Now, the decades-long odyssey to create a permanent home for the Rays is finally done and visible proof and progress of the deal will follow in the coming months.

Finishing the bond process for project funding, along with completing the design and permitting process will be next up, Welch said.

Rays President Matt Silverman said construction on the ballpark will begin in January, with a groundbreaking coming in the second or third week of the new year.

“It hasn’t sunk in,” Silverman said of the completed deal. “Just walking in the building this morning, there’s a sense of relief but more so euphoria.”

The new stadium will be built just east of Tropicana Field, in the current stadium parking lot.

The ballpark alone will cost $1.3 billion.

About $700 million will come from the Rays, with an additional $287 million from the city and the final $313 million from the county. The county’s portion will come from the tourism bed tax.

The surrounding Historic Gas Plant redevelopment, including retail and office space, hotel rooms, housing, green space and a museum will rise around the stadium over the next two decades. The full project totals 86-acres and ultimately will cost $6.5 billion.

“Having worked with the Rays for almost 20 years now, Hines is committed to this public/private partnership with the Rays, city and the county,” said Lane Gardner, Hines’ Managing Partner.

Gardner added Hines’ goals with the project include:

• Honoring the Gas Plant District
• Creating well-paying jobs and careers
• Creating new spaces for the local community and business owners
• And attracting visitors from the Tampa Bay region and beyond

Members of the development team, as well as Rays officials and local lawmakers said the collective sigh of relief will now be replaced by a sense of purpose and plenty of work.

“This project with the city and county and organization that we’ve been working on so long is going to become a reality,” Silverman said. “It means the team is here to stay.”