[Senator Clay Davis]

Montreal, here we come?

The Tampa Bay Rays will not proceed with the development of a $1.3 billion baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida, principal owner Stuart Sternberg said Thursday.

"After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment," Sternberg said in a statement. "A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision.

"Our commitment to the vitality and success of the Rays organization is unwavering. We continue to focus on finding a ballpark solution that serves the best interests of our region, Major League Baseball, and our organization."

The plan to build the stadium in the Historic Gas Plant District to replace outdated Tropicana Field was met with excitement last summer when the team and public officials announced the deal. Local government agencies had approved the sale of bonds to pay their share, but the Rays had until March 31 to meet specific conditions to gain public financing, including showing proof that they could meet their minimum $700 million obligation -- not including cost overruns -- toward the project.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/...-stadium-plans