ST. PETE, Fla., (WFLA) - Thursday afternoon, St. Pete City Council will vote to terminate the new stadium deal for the Rays.
They are also expected to vote on spending an additional $5 million to make repairs to the Tropicana Field, as they officially close the door on what would have been one of the biggest developments in the city's history.
With repair work on the Trop about to get underway, council members will vote Thursday to officially terminate a deal to build a new stadium for the Rays.
"It is the end of a chapter, but it certainly is not the end of the story," said Mayor Ken Welch.
Hurricane Milton did more than damage the Trop, the storm also helped tear apart the $1.3 billion deal to build a new stadium and develop the surrounding Gas Plant District.
Earlier in the year, St. Pete's mayor said the team's decision to abandon the plans was a major disappointment.
"I have no interest in working with this ownership group. They have a set of agreements they signed July 31st or August 1st of last year, that we all agreed to, why would I go back to the same group?" Welch said.
As council members vote to officially terminate the new stadium deal, they will turn their attention towards salvaging the Rays' existing home.
Damage assessments put the total cost to repair hurricane damage to the Trop at more than $50 million, with the team contractually obligated to play in the stadium through 2028.
City leaders say they're hopeful all of the repairs at the Trop will be complete in time for the Rays to return to St. Pete for the start of the 2026 season.
