TAMPA, Fla. — Pinellas County Commission Chairperson Kathleen Peters sent a two-page letter to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday asking the team to put in writing whether it intends to move forward on a $1.3 billion stadium voted on in July or provide a notice of termination by Sunday.

“I am requesting that you officially declare your intention regarding this Agreement and whether you intend to see it come to fruition,” Peters wrote.

Peters sent the letter to team presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman Monday morning. They had written a letter last week that arrived two hours before the County Commission met to consider final approval of bonds to finance the county’s share of the stadium. Auld and Silverman wrote that the Rays cannot move forward with a stadium deal under the current terms and the team stands “ready to work on a new solution” in Tampa Bay.

A spokesperson for the Rays did not immediately respond to a phone call and text message requesting comment.

Peters told the Tampa Bay Times she alone worked on the letter over the past few days with Assistant County Attorney Don Crowell. Due to Florida’s public meeting laws, Peters cannot communicate with other commissioners regarding items that would go before the board. She said she and County Administrator Barry Burton “talked extensively” about what was in the letter.

“They’re doing a lot of verbal statements and no one really knows what the true intent of those statements are,” Peters said, referring to the Rays. “If (team officials) put in writing they want out of the contract, the deal’s dead. It’s not dead on our side or on the city’s side.”

Asked what would happen if the Rays do not give an answer by Sunday, Peters said she’ll discuss what’s next with Crowell and Burton.

In a text message to the Times, Pinellas commissioner Chris Latvala said he agreed with the letter “100%.”

“The County hasn’t done anything to violate the deal,” said Latvala, who in October initiated the delay the final vote on the bonds then.

The commission went on to vote 6-1 last week to delay issuing bonds to provide the county share — $312.5 million — paid for with hotel and short-term rental taxes. The commission is scheduled to vote on the bonds Dec. 17.

“The county can be in a position to offer its bonds for sale pursuant to the agreement weeks (and potentially months) before the Rays’s deadline to meet its conditions precedent to such offering,” Peters wrote.

Auld spoke publicly Thursday at a St. Petersburg City Council meeting, where that board was scheduled to vote on bonds to finance its share of stadium costs, as well as funding for roads and sewers in the surrounding Historic Gas Plant District. Auld was asked by a reporter if a deal is still on the table, and he replied, “No, there is not.”

The City Council also voted 5-2 to delay bonds until no later than Jan. 9. At that meeting, City Administrator Rob Gerdes also asked for a written notice of termination from the Rays.

“Based on the comments that were made by Mr. Auld tonight, I think the respectable thing (for the Rays) to do would be to deliver us a written notice of termination,” Gerdes said Thursday.

In Monday’s letter, Peters lambasted Auld and Silverman for making a “fallacious statement” regarding it being “clear” that a “2029 ballpark delivery would result in significantly higher costs that we are not able to absorb alone.” Peters said that, per the agreement, the Rays are responsible for all cost overruns and the agreement cannot be terminated by the city and county unless the stadium project is not completed by Feb. 1, 2030.

“Pinellas County has operated in good faith, working toward the stadium deal while balancing the needs of our community after back-to-back hurricanes,” Peters wrote. “If the Rays want out of this agreement, it is your right to terminate the contract. Clear communication about your intentions will be critical to the next steps in this partnership.”

____

©2024 Tampa Bay Times. Visit tampabay.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.