By The Daily Caller (Opinion) | Created at 2024-11-20 02:11:56 | Updated at 2024-11-21 15:22:27
1 day ago
November 19, 2024 8:10 PM ET
Screw the A’s, we might be looking at the Las Vegas Rays.
The Tampa Bay Rays have halted plans to build a new ballpark in St. Petersburg, claiming that Pinellas County didn’t secure bond money in October.
Issuing a letter to county commissioners, the Rays stated that they have suspended their plans for a new stadium to be built, as well as revitalizing the Gas Plant District. (RELATED: Pirates’ Paul Skenes, Yankees’ Luis Gil Win 2024 Rookie Of The Year Awards)
The Rays say they’ve worked for decades and have spent over $50 million to “bring this historic project to reality – a project that had been approved by the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. Now, that enormous investment of human and financial capital has been jeopardized by the county’s failure to live up to its July agreement.”
But that’s not all, the Rays also told both St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and the county administrator that “the county’s failure to finalize the bonds last month ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of the ballpark. As we have made clear at every step of this process, a 2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone.”
#BREAKING: The Tampa Bay Rays have pumped the breaks on a new stadium deal and plans to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District in St. Petersburg: https://t.co/vzkykgZHEn pic.twitter.com/6LtKL0F6c2
— 10 Tampa Bay (@10TampaBay) November 19, 2024
Wow: Here’s the letter Rays leaders are giving county commissioners ahead of this afternoons crucial meeting regarding the future of the stadium deal.
They say the vote delay has “jeopardized” the original deal pic.twitter.com/scRxUTs79g
— Aaron Parseghian WTSP (@AaronParseghian) November 19, 2024
Considering the fact that the Las Vegas stadium funding can be used by any team (not just the Athletics), and this isn’t the first time that Tampa Bay has battled the government, we very well might be looking at the Las Vegas Rays when the smoke clears.
Talk about a turn of events.
