The Tampa Bay Rays have decided to pull out of their $1.3 billion stadium deal with St. Petersburg, Florida, just weeks before the start of the season, citing economic uncertainty following Hurricane Milton's damage to Tropicana Field. The decision comes after delayed votes to secure funding from the Pinellas County Commissioners.

Principal owner Stuart Sternberg announced the decision via a statement on X, formerly Twitter. The Rays had raised concerns about the deal after the hurricane damage to their current stadium, Tropicana Field, and delays in securing necessary funding. On Thursday, Sternberg informed St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch that the Rays would not meet the March 31 deadline to proceed with the new stadium deal, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
The planned new stadium was part of a $6.5 billion redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District, which would have served as the Rays' future home.

“While the decision of Tampa Bay Rays ownership to terminate the agreements for a new stadium and new development is a major disappointment, it is not unexpected. Nor is it the end of the Historic Gas Plant District story,” Mayor Welch said in a statement shared with Construction Dive. The mayor emphasized that the city would continue to pursue development in the district to fulfill longstanding promises of economic opportunity for the African-American community.

Skanska USA Building had been selected as the owner’s representative for the new stadium's design and construction, but declined to comment on the cancellation.

In July 2024, Pinellas County commissioners approved public funding for the stadium, which was expected to replace Tropicana Field, where the Rays were set to play until 2028. However, after Hurricane Milton severely damaged the Trop's roof in October, the commissioners delayed the approval of bonds. This setback forced the Rays to reassess their plans.

In November, Rays team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman stated that the delay jeopardized the timeline for construction, making the 2028 opening of the new stadium impossible. The delays were ultimately too much for the team to overcome.

“After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment,” Sternberg said in his statement. “A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.”

The City of St. Petersburg is working on repairs to Tropicana Field to ensure it remains usable for the 2026 season. The team will play its home games at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa for the next few years. Under their current contract, the Rays will play three additional seasons at the Trop after repairs are completed. Beyond that, the future of both the team’s stadium and its location is uncertain.

“As for the future of baseball in our city — if in the coming months a new owner, who demonstrates a commitment to honoring their agreements and our community priorities, emerges — we will consider a partnership to keep baseball in St. Pete,” said Mayor Welch. “But we will not put our city’s progress on hold as we await a collaborative and community-focused baseball partner.”

Originally reported by Zachary Phillips in Construction Dive.