ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — St. Pete City Council on Thursday approved bonds that would account for the city's part of funding a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

What You Need To Know

  • The approved bonds are for about $287.5 million toward a $1.3 billion stadium that would replace Tropicana Field, and another $142 million for roads and sewers in the historic Gas Plant District

  • Pinellas County commissioners will take up their share of the funding later this month after previous delays

  • Meanwhile, the group Home Run Matters says the city was under no obligation to approve the sale of bonds until a future date

  • CONTINUING COVERAGE: Rays stadium deal

The bonds are for about $287.5 million toward a $1.3 billion stadium that would replace Tropicana Field, and another $142 million for roads and sewers in the historic Gas Plant District.

The vote leaves the issue next in the hands of Pinellas County commissioners, who will discuss their $312 million bond vote on Dec. 17 after previously delaying it.

Council member Lisset Hanewicz voted against adding the bonds item to Thursday's agenda, saying the public should’ve gotten more than a one-day notice before its inclusion. The council eventually voted 4-3 to put the bonds on Thursday's agenda, then approved the bonds by a 4-3 vote.

This is the same vote that city council members decided in a 5-2 split in November to delay to a later date. Many council members were not aware that the vote had been rescheduled to Thursday until they were notified of the addition to the agenda on Wednesday morning.

Council member Gina Driscoll was considered the swing vote on the bonds, and she was one of the four who eventually approved.

Driscoll said she felt satisfied about being a yes vote after hearing the Rays' response to a request for a termination letter.

“We wanted to find out were the Rays on the verge of sending a termination letter? Turns out that they weren’t. They’re still in and so am I," she said.

Driscoll, Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Brandi Gabbard and Copley Gerdes are the council members who voted yes. Hanewicz, Richie Floyd and John Muhammad voted no.

The Rays didn't have anyone in attendance at the meeting, which disturbed Hanewicz, but it was learned that the team was told it didn't need to send anyone.

Meanwhile, the group Home Run Matters says the city is under no obligation to approve the sale of bonds until a future date.

The group points out that the Rays have publicly stated they cannot honor one of the key provisions of the deal — namely cost overruns. Home Run Matters urged the council not to approve the bonds until they get some answers

Thursday’s meeting was one of two left before two new city council members get sworn in early next year. Both newly elected council members have been skeptical of the current Ray’s ballpark deal.

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