PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council is gathering Thursday for the first time since the Tampa Bay Rays seemingly reversed course, telling the city in a letter they want Tropicana Field repaired in time for the 2026 season.
With two new city council members and the mayor expected to be in attendance today, officials are hoping to get some clarity on where the deal, and those pricey ballpark repairs, will go from here.
What You Need To Know
- St. Petersburg City Council is gathering Thursday for the first time since the Tampa Bay Rays seemingly reversed course on Trop repairs
- In a Dec. 30 letter to St. Petersburg City Administrator Rob Gerdes, Rays president Matt Silverman said that the team had been open to considering a settlement that would buy the city out of its obligation to repair the ballpark
- Rays have until March 31 to meet certain benchmarks or the development deal for a new stadium will be terminated
- However, the Rays are not officially on the city council’s agenda today
- READ THE RAYS LETTER: Rays send letter to city touting a fixed Tropicana Field for 2026
- RELATED: Former St. Pete mayor skeptical Rays will build new stadium
- PREVIOUS STORY: Pinellas BOCC approves bonds to finance new Rays stadium; team says 'funding gap' still needs solution
- PREVIOUS STORIES: Rays stadium pursuit
However, the Rays are not officially on the city council’s agenda today.
While the new stadium deal and getting the current Tropicana Field fixed are two different issues and sets of funding, they certainly all tie together.
The last time Rays President Matt Silverman was at a city council meeting, he told reporters the team might not want the city to repair the Trop, which raised concerns that the team had one foot out the door.
But the letter from Silverman to St. Pete’s city administrator shows a change of heart.
While the Rays had been open to a scenario where the city bought out its obligation to fix the Trop, the team now supports and expects the city to rebuild the ballpark.
They’re also asking repairs begin as soon as possible, because not having the Trop ready by Opening Day 2026 would cause expensive logistical problems.
The Trop sustained $56 million worth of damage from Hurricane Milton in October. The city is contractually obligated to repair the ballpark, and voted last month to move forward.
The Rays’ letter came after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said it was possible the city could fix the Trop in time for the 2026 season.
Pinellas County Commissioner Chris Latvala, who has been a critic of the project, says that shows outside forces are intervening to try and keep the Rays here.
He posted on social media saying: “It took 21 days after the Pinellas Board of County Commissioners delayed the bond vote for the Rays to claim the project would cost another $200 million and be delayed a year. Now it's been 21 days since those bonds have been approved… when does construction start?’”
He then tagged the team on the post.
Some of the big questions still looming today: When will construction start on both the new and old ballparks?
And how will the difference in cost for the new stadium be made up after the Rays said the series of delays have made the project more expensive?