The hurricane did not just sweep through the baseball stadium. It swept away the future plans of the team as well. Kim Ha-seong's Tampa Bay RAY has completely scrapped its long-anticipated new stadium plans.

Tampa Bay owner Stuart Sternberg posted a statement on social media on the 14th (Korean time), saying, "As we all recover from the impact of the hurricane, I would like to express my deep gratitude for the unwavering support of our fans and the Tampa Bay community. After careful consideration, we have decided that we cannot proceed with the current new stadium development project. Since last October, a series of unexpected events have occurred, which led to this difficult decision."

Tampa Bay uses Tropicana Field, a dome stadium located in St. Petersburg, Florida, as its home stadium. However, the stadium environment was outdated, and the location was not very accessible. Discussions about a new stadium had been ongoing for a long time, and last July, a budget plan for an urban development project for the new stadium construction passed the St. Petersburg city council. The path to develop a new stadium had opened.

There was an ambitious plan to lease Tropicana Field until 2027 and use the new stadium starting in 2028. However, in October last year, Hurricane Milton swept through St. Petersburg. The dome roof of Tropicana Field was completely torn off. It was intended to be used as a shelter, but that effort also failed. Ultimately, the restoration of Tropicana Field became unavoidable, costing $55.7 million.

Furthermore, as the restoration period lengthened, Tampa Bay will play its home games at Steinbrenner Field, the spring training facility of the New York Yankees and the home stadium of a Single-A team, during the 2025 season. With a capacity of 11,000 seats, loss of ticket revenue is also inevitable.

In addition, the huge restoration costs have derailed the construction plans for the new stadium. The hurricane took away many things.

Sternberg noted, "Our Tampa Bay team is making unwavering efforts for continued growth and success. We will focus on finding the optimal stadium solution that prioritizes the interests of the community, Major League Baseball, and the team. Currently, the city of St. Petersburg is pursuing plans to restore Tropicana Field ahead of the 2026 season. We appreciate these efforts and look forward to the day we can return to our home stadium next spring."

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