The Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday withdrew from a $1.3 billion ballpark project, citing hurricanes and delays that likely will drive up the proposal's cost. The team issued a statement by principal owner Stuart Sternberg saying that "a series of events" in October,

The Tampa Bay Rays' plans to build a stadium and mixed-use entertainment district in downtown St. Petersburg are dead. The team posted a statement on X on Thursday morning.

In the wake of the Tampa Bay Rays’ announcement that they won’t move forward with the current stadium deal in St. Petersburg, many elected officials around the bay echoed the same response: disappointment. Others lambasted what they considered a bad deal for taxpayers from the start.