ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — With a crucial vote on Tuesday afternoon, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners has cleared the final hurdle needed for the Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal to move forward in St. Petersburg.
Commissioners voted 5-2 to approve $312.5 million toward the construction and design of a new ballpark — the last piece of the puzzle needed to fully fund the broader $6.5 billion redevelopment plan for the Historic Gas Plant District.
The $312.5 million from the county will be made up of tourist development tax dollars generated by the 6% county tax on hotel and rental rooms.
Supporters and city staff who presented the plans for the Rays stadium deal previously said it would generate hundreds of millions in tax revenue for the county and be an economic driver for the region, providing thousands of jobs and new uses for acres that are currently just surface-level parking lots.
However, throughout the process, commissions had hesitations about the return on investment, how they are legally protected in case of a team sale and if they have enough money on hand to handle critical beach renourishment needs.
Earlier this month, St. Petersburg City Council gave its final approval for the Rays stadium deal, guaranteeing that the team will stay in St. Petersburg for the next 30 years.
The project, which includes upgrading infrastructure, building parking garages, hotels, business space, an African American museum, affordable housing units and a state-of-the-art home for the Rays across 86 acres, will require nearly $743 million in public funding between the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
Overall, developers say the new Rays stadium will be an "intimate experience" for fans, promising to bring them closer to the action as well as the person next to them.
The Rays say the ballpark will be the "anchor" to the Gas Plant redevelopment project. After the ballpark and neighboring facilities are built, the team says the project will have close to 8 million square feet of development, including more than 5,000 residential units, 600 affordable/workforce housing units on site and another 650 units in other parts of St. Petersburg.
About 1.4 million square feet of the development will be reserved for office and/or medical space. Additionally, there will be a hotel with about 750 rooms.
The ballpark is set to seat about 30,000 fans in a three-deck design with multiple seating and viewing options. Developers say all concourses in the park will have views of the field and will maintain fan amenities including a new version of the Rays Touch Tank Experience.
The ballpark's design is inspired by a pavilion and will sport large windows wrapping around the building, connecting the inside and outside for guests, developers said.
As a homage to the Historic Gas Plant District, porches are a recurring motif in the venue's design. "The front porch historically played an integral social role in the former Gas Plant neighborhood and across St. Petersburg," the release said. "The ballpark’s front porch will open up to a main plaza acting as a community gathering space within the Historic Gas Plant District."
Outside of the Tampa Bay Rays' season, the new ballpark is billed as a 365-day venue that will be able to host events including concerts, festivals, conferences and graduations year-round.
Construction is set to start in January 2025 with the ballpark aiming to be ready for the Rays on Opening Day 2028.
10 Tampa Bay's Claire Farrow and Aaron Parseghian contributed to this report.