The St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday "approved a plan" that lets the Rays out of their Tropicana Field contract, "a long-sought breakthrough that allows the team to explore new stadium sites outside St. Petersburg and inside Pinellas and Hillsborough counties," according to a front-page piece by Frago & Marrero of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. But the terms "come with a higher cost for the Rays than what the team has previously agreed to, casting doubt that the plan represents a step forward in breaking a five-year stalemate." City Council member Jim Kennedy's plan "would require the team to pay" a $5M charge for demolition and $4M a year "once they vacate" the ballpark. If they leave in '20, the Rays "would pay" $33M. Kennedy's plan "nearly doubles what the Rays would have paid in a deal council members rejected in May." The Rays, whose lease runs out in '27, "must agree to the terms." City Council member Karl Nurse, who voted for the deal, said, "This plan has zero chance of being accepted by the Rays. But if you've ever bought a house, you know, you make an offer and hope they counter." Kennedy and City Council Chair Charlie Gerdes have both said that they "acted with urgency" after the Braves "revealed plans to build a spring training stadium in Pinellas, which would have vied for the same tax revenue the Rays would need for a stadium." Frago & Marrero note county commissioners, "tired of waiting" for the Rays and St. Petersburg to strike a deal, "used the Braves facility as a message that there were other options" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 10/23).
