As the old saying goes, “good things come to those who wait”. This might be the case for the Tampa Bay Rays as they patiently await the decision on the bond resolution needed for their new stadium. On Tuesday, the Pinellas County Commission decided to postpone its vote on the bond resolution, which is a crucial part of the financing agreement for the Tampa Bay Rays to build a new stadium at the site of the existing Tropicana Field.
The vote to postpone was decided by a 6-1 majority, with Commissioner Rene Flowers being the lone dissenter. The Commission has scheduled a fresh round of discussions for its next meeting on Dec. 17. The panel is confident that this postponement won’t cause additional delays, as the appellate period for bond validation is set to conclude only by Jan. 14.
The Importance of Partnership
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch emphasized the importance of partnership moving forward. In a statement, he said, “Partnership has always been key to this plan, and the success of the plan going forward largely depends on the commitment of our partners to those agreements. We will continue to work with our partners towards that successful outcome.”
New Commissioners, New Perspectives
The vote saw the participation of two newly sworn-in Commissioners, Vince Nowicki and Chris Scherer. Both expressed reservations about the deal between the city of St. Pete, the County, the Rays, and developer Hines. Nowicki, in particular, suggested that selling the land where Tropicana Field currently stands could provide an immediate fiscal benefit and address infrastructure needs within the community.
Concerns and Consequences
There are growing concerns among some leaders about the deal, especially after the Rays decided to play in Tampa next season instead of a stadium in Pinellas County. The team had previously indicated that the deal was on shaky ground.
In a letter to the Pinellas County Commission, the Rays leadership cautioned that the current deal to build a new stadium is in jeopardy without the bond agreement. They claimed they’ve already spent “more than $50 million to bring this historic project to reality,” and added that the “enormous investment of human and financial capital has been jeopardized by the county’s failure to live up to its July agreement.”
With so much at stake, the outcome of the postponed vote could have a significant impact on the future of the Tampa Bay Rays and the local community. Until then, all we can do is wait and hope that the final decision will be in the best interest of all parties involved.
