Despite county's yes vote, Tampa Rays want more money for $1.3B ballpark

The team says it cannot cover cost increases and that it will negotiate with municipalities already cash strapped and unwilling to pay more.

By Louis Llovio
| 7:15 p.m. December 17, 2024
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The Tampa Bay Rays are finally getting a new ballpark after Pinellas County approved tourism money for for the effort.

Tampa Bay-Lakeland

The Pinellas County Commission, after two earlier delays, on Tuesday approved bonds to finance its portion of a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, but an agreement to move forward on construction of the ballpark is still up in the air.

Just minutes after commissioners voted 5-2 to approve $312.5 million in bonds to pay for its share of the new $1.3 billion ballpark, the Rays issued a statement blaming the county for cost overruns and saying it wanted to renegotiate the deal it agreed to in July.

“As we have made clear, the county's delay has caused the ballpark's completion to slide into 2029,” team president Matt Silverman says in a written statement.