The Rays are free to explore the entire Tampa Bay area for a new stadium site.
The St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 Thursday to approve a memorandum of understanding that will allow the team to consider its options on either side of the bay, marking a significant step toward the team's longstanding goal of escaping Tropicana Field.
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St. Petersburg officials had long opposed any move from the stadium, which was built in 1990 and has been the team's home since it began play in 1998. The existing lease ties the team to the Trop through 2027 and is considered ironclad.
Owner Stuart Sternberg has had his eye on a new facility since taking control of the team following the 2005 season. He initially put millions into upgrades at Tropicana Field in an effort to make the stadium more fan-friendly but by the end of 2007 had proposed a new stadium on the St. Petersburg waterfront. That project was later scuttled because of a lack of public support. The team has grappled for viable alternatives since.
Many believe the Tampa side of the bay would be preferable, as it has a larger population and is also more accessible to fans from the Orlando area, but St. Petersburg has refused to budge even in the face of suggestions that Sternberg might ultimately move the team out of the area altogether if he can't get a new stadium.
Despite fielding a contender most years since their worst-to-first run in 2008, the Rays invariably bring up the rear in attendance. They averaged only 15,403 fans in 2015, their fourth consecutive season at the bottom of MLB's attendance charts.
