St. Pete Officials Get Ready for Life Without Tampa Bay Rays

City leaders in St. Petersburg took steps to study the financial impact of the Rays' possible exit after 2028. The move comes as the Rays are in the process of selling the team to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski.

"Our businesses on Central Avenue are hurting," said Councilman Corey Givens, according to Fox 13 News. "I don't want to see them go, but should they leave, I don't want to wait until the 11th inning to come up with a plan."

Near the ballpark, shop owners face tough choices. Take Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill: they've switched to hosting live music shows to stay afloat while games move to Tampa. Small changes add up to big shifts in how local spots do business.

The city spends far more on the team than it earns back. Security costs at games drain funds, while insurance payments for Tropicana Field strain the budget. Short, quick games bring brief bursts of cash, but year-round expenses pile up steadily.

"We also expend a lot more than we receive, so I'm not really concerned about replacing their revenue," said council member Richie Floyd. "Because we are going to have a bunch more money back."

The team must stay put through 2028's MLB season. A fresh agreement lets the city collect $400,000 yearly and start building on select parts of the Tropicana site.

Research from 2023 showed promise: new construction could have brought $11.9 billion over three decades. Those dreams crashed in March when the team walked away from talks.

James Corbett, who runs city growth plans, pitched the idea of turning the site into a meeting space. This switch could work with or without new baseball facilities.

Mayor Ken Welch wants to build homes for older folks, add an African American museum, and boost job growth. While the council plans to hear from the public about money-making ideas without baseball, they haven't set a date. The clock ticks as St. Petersburg maps out its next moves in a game where the rules keep changing.