Will Pinellas County approve financing for a new Rays stadium?

After 17 years of negotiations that led to historic votes this summer to build a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium in St. Petersburg, the future of Major League Baseball may hang in the balance once again.

Before Pinellas County commissioners on Tuesday is a simple question: Whether to approve previously pledged financing for a share of the costs for a new $1.3 billion stadium. It was supposed to be a routine matter after the terms were approved by commissioners this summer.

But then came Hurricane Milton, which tore the roof off of current home Tropicana Field and threw into limbo where the team would play for the remainder of its current contract, which lasts three more years. That was followed by silence from the team that some commissioners found insulting given the stakes.

County commissioners delayed a scheduled vote on the financing in October. Then came this month's general election, which ushered in two newly elected commissioners who were slated to be sworn in Monday, before the anticipated vote on Tuesday, and aren't so sold on the public subsidy.

The team's primary owner says even a vote for further delay while the two new commissioners get up to speed could shatter a fragile pact because it would threaten the timetable to get a new stadium built in time for the 2028 season. Some commissioners say the new board members shouldn't be put on the spot so fast.

Tuesday's meeting is at the Pinellas County government complex at 2 p.m. Here's where commissioners have said they stand:

Chris Latvala Latvala voted no on the deal back in July. He doesn't like the financial terms, particularly when it comes to the redevelopment surrounding the stadium. He believes the county's top priority should be replenishing sand on its beaches to keep the tourists coming.

Latvala led the charge to delay the vote in October. He's upset with the Rays' lack of communication and believes the team could have done more to play their 2025 season in Pinellas County instead of opting to play at Tampa's Steinbrenner Field. He has argued that playing in Hillsborough County means the team is taking tourist tax dollars that would have financed their new stadium out of Pinellas County.

On Monday, Latvala posted on X that he had a "productive" meeting with St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, calling him an "honest broker who I trust."

On a podcast hosted Monday by former WDAE host Jay Recher, Latvala called Rays owner Stuart Sternberg's bluff on threatening to leave. Latvala said the deal could be renegotiated.

"I have never once said or thought to myself, 'OK, if I do this, the Rays are going to leave,' " Latvala said. "For 10-plus years, Stu has threatened to leave."

Kathleen Peters Peters, the commission chairperson, voted yes for the deal in July.

She's been the point of contact for working with the state and federal government to help pay for beach renourishment, and she said she believes the county can afford the stadium.

"I do believe that there's plenty of money for both," Peters said.

As for the vote Tuesday, Peters said she has no idea how it will go with two new commissioners. She was among the votes to delay the bond vote in October.

"I'm not going to continue the fray of that banter," she said.

Brian Scott Scott voted yes on the deal in July. He voted to delay the bond vote in October.

On Thursday, Scott told the Tampa Bay Times that there were several benefits to delaying the vote on the bonds again. Not only would the new commissioners have time to get informed, they would have more information on beach renourishment and maybe get a better deal on interest rates.

Though he is irked by the lack of communication from the team, Scott wants to see the deal go through.

"I just want to make sure that we're also considering the long view on this and that we're not making a knee-jerk reaction decision based on the trouble and strife that we're dealing with right now," Scott said.

Rene Flowers Flowers is an undecided vote. She was among the commissioners who voted yes on the stadium in July and also voted to delay the vote in October.

Flowers is upset with the sudden drop in communication from the Rays, but she also wants to know more about how much money the county would be missing out on when the team plays their 2025 season in Hillsborough.

She said she has "strongly encouraged" the Rays to be present at the commission meeting and has asked Mayor Welch to send a representative from the city.

"I'm still making up my mind, if you will," she said.

Dave Eggers Eggers voted no on the original deal. But he said he would flip his vote if the Rays pay more for the stadium, since the team would collect all the revenues from the surrounding redevelopment.

"It can be a much cozier, resident-friendly deal," he told the Times.

Eggers is game to delay the vote to have more deliberation and conversation that could shed more light on how the numbers behind the deal were put together. He asked for a delay in July but didn't get enough support.

"We'll see how things go (Tuesday). There's always 30 more days," he said. "This is an important deal. I don't think anything should be off the table."

Vince Nowicki Nowicki beat incumbent Charlie Justice, a stadium supporter and the lone commissioner who voted against delaying the bond vote in October. He told the Times he is a "solid no vote" and he thinks the Rays want to blame the deal falling apart on the commission's delay.

"If they're going to gaslight us anyway, you might as well just take a vote on it and see where the chips fall," he said.

Nowicki said County Administrator Barry Burton told him the Rays have declined attending the commission meeting Tuesday. He also wonders if the Rays can just stay in Tropicana Field after it goes through an estimated $56 million in repairs.

Chris Scherer Scherer was elected to the seat held by Janet Long, an unwavering supporter of the Rays who retired. He does not share the same support for the Rays as his predecessor and also has issues with the financial terms of the deal. He did not return a call and a text requesting comment Monday.