The Tampa Bay Rays won't limit their search for a new ballpark to St. Petersburg or the Gateway area, the team said Tuesday.
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster last week extended an olive branch to the team, offering to let it explore sites in the Gateway area that are just outside city limits. That was a change in direction for the mayor, because previously Foster had insisted the team remain within the city.
But, in a meeting Tuesday Rays President Matt Silverman told the mayor that the Rays need to be able to explore sites around the Bay area, Silverman said. It will consider sites for a new stadium in St. Petersburg and Gateway - an area just over the Howard Frankland bridge - but only as part of a wider regional search.
"Since Stu (Sternberg's) announcement a few weeks back, we have received an outpouring of support from fans throughout Tampa Bay. They love the Rays and they want to ensure that the team is a permanent fixture in our community," the team said in a prepared statement.
The team is focused on the pennant race at the moment, but will begin the process of selecting a ballpark site in November, the statement says.
Foster was not immediately available for comment.
The Rays have made no secret for a couple years that they want out of their stadium use agreement, which binds them to play at Tropicana Field until 2027. Team owner Stuart Sternberg raised the stakes last month when he said he wanted the ability to look around the entire Bay area for a stadium site, including in Hillsborough County.
Last week, Foster sent Sternberg a letter and offered to amend the team's stadium agreement to open up certain sites in the Gateway area that are outside city limits. The sites included the Airco Golf Course on Ulmerton Road and the Derby Lane dog track property on Gandy Boulevard.
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