The Tampa Bay Rays appear to be biding their time.
As public battles over a potential stadium deal drag on, the MLB team refused to clarify whether it would move forward or back out of a $1.3-billion deal for a new ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Tampa Bay Times reported on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Pinellas County Commission Chairperson Kathleen Peters sent a letter to Rays team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman asking whether they plan to go ahead on a new stadium, setting a Sunday deadline.
Auld and Silverman have previously written to the county stating the team can't move forward with the current stadium deal but is “ready to work on a new solution” in Tampa Bay.
But unless the Rays pull the plug on the deal themselves, they'll get to keep 65 acres of public land in a prime area at the Historic Gas Plant District.
The commission voted 6-1 to delay issuing bonds to provide the county share —$312.5 million — paid for with hotel and short-term rental taxes. The commission is scheduled to vote on the bonds Dec. 17.
The Rays are being forced to play the 2025 season at the New York Yankees' spring-training complex in Tampa after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof of Tropicana Field.
The hurricane pushed back the potential opening of a new stadium until 2029 at earliest.
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