If Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg is not the worst venue in Major League Baseball, it occupies a spot near the bottom of the list.
For many years, fans and players complained about the substandard structure even as showcases sprang up in other cities across the MLB landscape.
And there’s always the unspoken threat of the city’s professional franchise uprooting and moving on to greener pastures.
But that possibility for the Tampa Bay Rays appears over after a historic decision by local political leaders.
Tampa Bay Times reporter Colleen Wright revealed that the St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 on Thursday in favor of a new stadium and redevelopment project to keep the team on the Gulf Coast.
In a 5-3 vote, St. Petersburg has a deal. Chambers applaud as City Council approved 12 legally binding agreements with Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay Rays and development partner Hines for a new stadium and redevelopment, to be called the Historic Gas Plant District. pic.twitter.com/OWSdh257vp
— Colleen Wright (@Colleen_Wright) July 18, 2024
According to current plans, Tropicana Field will be replaced by a 30,000-seat domed stadium that would be accompanied by a massive rebuilding project to benefit the historic neighborhood.
The proposal calls for new apartments, stores, bars and other businesses, a Black history museum and more.
The plan is for St. Petersburg taxpayers to cough up $287.5 million, another $312.5 million would come from tourist taxes paid to Pinellas County and the Rays would put up $600 million to counter cost overruns.
There is still one vote remaining, and that will come on July 30 from the Pinellas County Commission.
The Rays have long sought a new stadium in an effort that nearly coincided with their first season in 1998.
Thursday’s council meeting featured speakers both for and against the new deal, but ultimately it was the city’s baseball fans who carried the day.
