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Mayor responds to concerns over Rays stadium deal
FOX 13's Evan Axelbank talked with St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch about his optimism on the Rays' future.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch is pushing back on the belief that the deal between the city, the county, and the Rays to build a new stadium is in trouble following Hurricane Milton.
A Pinellas County Commission vote to approve bonds for the new stadium is still scheduled for Nov. 19.
Destruction inside Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton.
Over the last few weeks, uncertainty has grown, as bills to repair Tropicana Field and Pinellas County beaches have come into focus.
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But Welch and even a Pinellas commissioner who voted against the initial deal see reasons for optimism.
"There's been predictions of the demise of this plan for years, and no one thought we'd get this far," said Welch. "Let us work through this process."
Welch even visited City Commissioner Chris Latvala’s office after he threatened not to vote for a $312.5 million bond payment to the Rays for their new stadium because he was upset by their decision to play in Tampa Bay temporarily.
"I thought it went well," Latvala said of his meeting with Welch. "We don't always agree politically, but he's somebody that I trust. And when he says something, I can normally take it to the bank."
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The problem is this: commissioners agreed in July on a 5-2 vote to give the Rays $312.5 million in bonds in tourist tax money.
But after the storm destroyed the Trop's roof and Pinellas' beaches, a few commissioners, like Latvala, saw new uses for that money.
Two of the original affirmative votes are gone, replaced by two who are skeptical, meaning a majority have now signaled their opposition.
View of Tropicana Field's roof after it was blown off by Hurricane Milton.
Since the bonds don't technically have to be approved until the end of March, Latvala is advocating to build a new deal that could either generate more revenue for taxpayers or lessen their contribution in favor of hurricane recovery.
"I want the Rays to stay. I want baseball to stay in Pinellas County," said Latvala. "So I would be supporting a delay because I believe that there's still time."
While Pinellas commissioners have signaled fury at the Rays' decision to play at Steinbrenner Field instead of at one of Pinellas County's minor league parks, Welch doesn't share that view.
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The Rays can bring in much more money and revenue at Steinbrenner Field, which could be critical to sweeten an eventual new deal for taxpayers.
"You've got to give us some grace to everyone after Helene and Milton," said Welch. "And again, our priority isn't just this deal. It's the resiliency of our tower community."
Welch cautioned, "We've got a lot on our plate. We're doing a lot of things. Stay patient, have faith."
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As far as the Rays go, they have yet to agree to interviews with FOX 13 since they announced they were moving to Steinbrenner Field while the city tries to get the Trop fixed.
They have cited the large offering of seats at Steinbrenner Field as to why they chose to play there in 2025.
A glimpse of the destruction Hurricane Milton left inside of Tropicana Field after the storm.
They did not respond to criticism from Commissioner Latvala that they have not spoken one on one with him since the summer.
The commission meeting is scheduled for Nov. 19 at 2 p.m.
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