The discussion went downhill when a St. Petersburg City Council member tried to get a clear answer out of Brian Auld. Are the Tampa Bay Rays saying the deal — the plan to build a $1.3 billion stadium and a city-defining village around it — is dead?

In retrospect, the day’s first disruption was little more than an annoyance. Three Rays executives were in New York on Oct. 29 to discuss a potential sponsorship deal and to meet with the commissioner of baseball to go over options for the 2025 season after Hurricane Milton had taken aim at Tropicana Field.

The St. Petersburg City Council has voted to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of Tropicana Field, with the goal of having the home of the Tampa Bay Rays ready for the 2026 season.

Two hours after voting to spend about $24 million to start repairing hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field by replacing the ballpark’s roof, the St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday voted a second time and decided to halt that plan.

November 22 - Hours after initially approving a proposal to spend $23 million to repair the Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark, the St. Petersburg City Council rejected the plan Thursday. The decision comes more than a month after Tropicana Field's roof was torn ...