City Council reverses course on Trop repairs following county delays for new park

ST. PETERSBURG -- Less than four months after seemingly securing their long-awaited, long-term home and celebrating the new ballpark’s planned opening in 2028, it is now unclear where the Rays will play after spending next season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

The damage Hurricane Milton dealt to Tropicana Field, multiple delays by the Pinellas County Commission, and a series of votes by the St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday have left the Rays’ future even more uncertain.

On Tuesday, the Pinellas County Commission voted for a second time to postpone a decision on the county’s bonds to finance the $1.3 billion ballpark that was approved by both the city and county over the summer. The county is set to vote again on Dec. 17.

In a letter to county commissioners on Tuesday, Rays presidents Matt Silverman and Brian Auld wrote that the initial delay “ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of the ballpark,” resulting in “significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone.”

About two hours after voting to commit roughly $23.7 million to replace the roof at Tropicana Field, the St. Petersburg City Council reversed course and unanimously voted against funding those repairs. Council members reconsidered their initial 4-3 vote shortly after a 5-2 decision to delay approving the city’s bonds to finance the Rays’ new ballpark.

Auld reiterated Thursday that the Rays believe the current plan for their new ballpark can no longer move forward, saying inside City Hall that the club “can’t make the terms of the last deal work.”

“My focus is on doing everything I can for our staff, for our employees and for the partners that we've had at this point and, I certainly hope, finding our way through to keeping the Rays in this market for generations to come,” Auld said. “We've been working on it for 20 years. We've been knocked down a whole bunch. This one might hurt the worst.”

The Rays have a home in the Tampa Bay area next season, when they’ll play at the Yankees’ Spring Training ballpark. What comes after that is unknown.

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the Rays’ situation on Wednesday, telling reporters the league is “committed to the fans in Tampa Bay” and “focused on our franchise in Tampa Bay right now,” although he noted the club might need a long-term solution in place before the 2026 season.

Tropicana Field was set to remain their home through the 2027 season until Hurricane Milton ripped off most of its roof panels. Their use agreement with St. Petersburg, which owns the ballpark, could have been extended another year (through 2028) since they won’t play there next year. But Thursday’s developments raised the possibility that the Rays have played their last game at the Trop.

While a 412-page damage report estimated that the ballpark could be repaired for about $55.7 million just in time for Opening Day in 2026, Auld and members of the council openly doubted the likelihood it would happen at that cost or on that tight of a timeline. That uncertainty would have left the Rays in a position where they had to make two sets of plans for one season.

“One of the concerns that we had about moving forward with the repair was having to potentially have our organization be ready to play in two different venues in '26, which I'm sure you can recognize is hard to do,” Auld said. “And we have a lot to do as it is.”

Auld said the Rays would gain greater clarity if the city elected to not repair Tropicana Field, which is why they have been working to negotiate a settlement.

“We have a very challenging future ahead of us,” Auld said. “If I was confident that the Trop could be ready by 2026, I would be strongly in favor of improving it. Part of the settlement obviously helps us with some of those revenue challenges.”

The city council narrowly and reluctantly agreed to fund the estimated $23.7 million worth of roof repairs at first, believing the city was obligated to do so under the terms of the Rays’ use agreement. Then they delayed their bonds vote to a future date, no later than Jan. 9, further clouding the Rays’ future in St. Pete.

Council member Brandi Gabbard immediately suggested they reconsider their financial commitment to replacing the Trop’s roof. City Administrator Rob Gerdes said the administration supported the reversal, and the council’s vote was unanimous.

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch issued a statement saying he was “disappointed” but still believes there “remains a path forward.” Welch said his administration would bring a modified plan to the council but vowed to include no additional funds from the city.

In their letter, Silverman and Auld wrote that the Rays “stand ready to work on a new solution with any and all willing partners to preserve the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay for generations to come.”

“We very much do still want to find a way to keep this team in Tampa Bay. I've always wanted it to be right here in St Petersburg,” Auld said Thursday evening. “But when you push a delay a year and the county removes your funding and you're dealing with a hurricane, those things all become impossible.

“This uncertainty, no end in sight, no future home that we know of -- the mayor keeps saying the county is going to come around, but I don't know how he is able to feel that way after the meeting that I sat through on Tuesday -- it's really challenging.”