The hope for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays may not be dead just yet.
Tampa Bay Times beat reporter Marc Topkin reported Thursday that the St. Petersburg city council voted 4-3 in favour of approving bonds to finance the $1.3-billion stadium project and Historic Gas Plant District.
It was 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 vote now forces 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. The commission is slated to meet on Dec. 17.
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.