Rays Future Stadium Deal in Hands of Newly Elected Officials

Already grappling with a near-term issue of where to play, the Rays now have potential new trouble with their agreement to build a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Soon after Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off of Tropicana Field, leaving it likely unplayable for at the start of the 2025 season, this past week’s election brought victories for Republican challengers Chris Scherer and Vince Nowicki on the Pinellas County Commission. That body will be charged with issuing bonds that fund $312.5 million toward the planned stadium in a deal agreed to last summer. 

The new makeup of the commission—a Republican supermajority with two members-elect carrying public skepticism on the ballpark deal, particularly in light of broader storm damage—introduces questions about whether the deal will survive.

“Whatever was agreed to before needs to be looked at differently now, because we are dealing with a county where, you know, tens of thousands of homes have been destroyed, and our infrastructure that was inadequate to begin with has suffered a lot of damage,” Scherer told The Tampa Bay Times. 

The new commission members will be sworn in on Nov. 18, one day before the bonds are back on the agenda for approval. 

The overall public-sector contribution toward the ballpark is $600 million, also including city-level funds from St. Petersburg. But new ‘no’ votes on bond approval, which must be done by March 31, from Scherer and Nowicki—combined with incumbent opposition from last summer—would be enough to tank the deal and force the club to rework the financing model. 

The Rays, as of now, remain primarily focused on solving their 2025 home field issue. Damage assessments are still being conducted at Tropicana Field, but the facility suffered damage beyond just the roof, and is not designed for outdoor use. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has expressed a preference for the Rays to play temporarily in their current market area, and is looking to have a clear path on where the club’s temporary home will be by Christmas.

“We are focused on what is now our single most urgent issue: securing a place for the Rays to play the 2025 season, which begins in four months,” said Rays president Brian Auld.  

The club’s plan to go into a new stadium in 2028, meanwhile, further complicates the discussion about the merits of rehabilitating Tropicana Field. So, too, does the commission’s new composition.