The Tampa Bay Rays moved significantly closer to a deal for a new stadium today, as the St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve a development deal with the Rays/Hines partnership.
Approval by the St. Petersburg City Council was the major hurdle the Rays needed to clear to build a new stadium in the city, as the Council controls the team’s lease and the approximately 80 acre site, and their significant financial contribution will underwrite a good part of stadium construction. That approval came today in a series of 5-3 votes.
The proposals discussed and approved involve really two intertwined projects.