If funding were approved, St. Petersburg residents would have been on the hook for a new stadium for one of baseball’s least attended teams.

Before the Pinellas County Commission punted on finalizing bonds for a new $1.3 billion stadium again on Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays wrote a letter saying the deal approved this summer no longer works financially for the team.

Despite the rivalry, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner didn’t hesitate to offer assistance to the Rays after Hurricane Milton.

The St. Petersburg City Council has voted to spend over $23 million to repair Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton destroyed the roof on the home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

As the debate over a new stadium heats up, the commissioner says the league will allow time for area leaders to sort things out.

The Tampa Bay Rays are having all sorts of trouble getting the local government to help them build their new ballpark, and they are also having trouble getting their current one fixed.

The St. Petersburg City Council was on board and residents seemed to be too, given their overwhelming re-election of Council Chair Deborah Figgs-Sanders, a key Welch ally and avowed Rays deal supporter. The Pinellas County Commission gave its thumbs up too, with a vote on a bond resolution a mere formality to take place in late October.

A combination of hurricane damage to Tropicana Field and political delays on financing means it is highly unlikely the Tampa Bay Rays’ planned new stadium will be ready for the 2028 season, if at all.

The St. Petersburg City Council reversed course on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course.