St. Petersburg, Fla., mayor Ken Welch said the city is prepared to move on without the Tampa Bay Rays.
Welch said St. Petersburg has other options should the Rays walk away from a deal to build a $1.3 billion stadium and an adjacent mixed-use development in the city’s Historic Gas Plant District, and is prepared to exercise them.
“We will not pursue the deal at any cost,” Welch said. “The greatness and future of St. Pete does not depend solely on this deal, and I am confident that we have given this endeavor our very best effort. It’s an effort and a process we can all be proud of.”
The broader discussions about a new stadium also are running parallel to shorter-term considerations around repairs to the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, and the Rays’ temporary stay at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the Yankees.