The Rays’ already uphill climb to get a $2.3 billion ballpark deal done in Tampa is facing further obstacles amid a deepening political rift between Mayor Jane Castor and the city council.
As the MLB club is attempting to win over a skeptical city council on public funding for the project, that legislative body declined to move a land use plan for the ballpark project to state authorities for review. Additionally, the city council removed a planned vote on a stadium funding proposal from its Aug. 20 agenda.
Those moves prompted Castor to go public with her frustration with the council.
“It’s beyond frustrating that as city and county leaders are working tirelessly to hammer out an equitable deal to bring the Rays to Tampa, city council members want to halt our efforts in their tracks,” Castor said. “Some city council members are clearly intent on killing the plan before negotiations are done and an agreement is ready for review. It defies common sense that they would prefer to have no say in the benefits a Rays project would bring to our city and instead punt it to the county.”
City council members opposing the ballpark plan said there was no point in advancing the land use plan.
