Report: St. Petersburg Council to vote on bonds for new Rays stadium on Thursday

The St. Petersburg City Council is set for an important vote this week regarding the future of a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to a report Wednesday from the Tampa Bay Times, Council members received notice that a vote on whether to approve bonds to finance the $1.3 billion stadium project and Historic Gas Plant District was added to the agenda for Thursday.

It will be the first Council meeting since it voted to delay the bond issue on Nov. 21 and resolve the topic no later than Jan. 9.

The report also mentions that the Thursday Council meeting is one of just two in December before new members are sworn in, who have "expressed more skepticism toward the project."

St. Petersburgh Mayor Ken Welch proposed the city issue bonds worth $287.5 million toward the stadium and $182 million toward roads and sewers in the Gas Plant District.

If the Council approves the bonds, that would force a decision from the Pinellas County Commission, which also delayed voting on $312.5 million worth of bonds toward the project following the damage caused to Tropicana Field by Hurricane Milton.

In late November, Pinellas County demanded the Rays provide an official answer on if they plan to move forward with the stadium project. However, the team refused to clarify its stance by the Dec. 1 deadline set by the county, sticking to a position that all agreements are in effect until a party terminates them or a deadline is missed.

The team's contract with the city of St. Petersburg requires that the Rays play three more seasons at Tropicana Field, assuming it is repaired. The cost of fixing the ballpark in time for the 2026 season is pegged at more than $55 million for a building scheduled to be torn down when the new facility is ready.

Due to the damage to Tropicana Field, the Rays will play the 2025 season at George Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

— With files from The Associated Press