In a wild back-and-forth St. Petersburg City Council session, Tampa Bay Rays Co-President Brian Auld told city council the deal for a new stadium and massive St. Pete redevelopment is effectively dead before council members voted to delay approving more than $300 million in bonds need to finance their share. Council members then reversed a decision to spend more than $23 million to repair the roof of hurricane-ravaged Tropicana Field, just two hours after they approved getting loans for the funds. The stadium saga came crashing down after Auld told council members funding delays and changing members on the county level effectively killed the deal, while also apologizing for how the tone of a recent letter put out by the team was received. “I understand being the bearer of bad news in the wake of two hurricanes is extremely difficult, and I understand receiving the news is difficult. And I promise you it's been as bad for us as anyone else. It’s been nothing short of heartbreaking to inform our staff, our partners and our fans that our agreement effectively died when the county commission replaced two yes votes with two no votes,” Auld said. After council members voted 4-3 to approve paying millions to start the process of repairing the damaged roof at Tropicana Field, Auld made comments to reporters that repairing their damaged home might not be in the team’s best interest, with concerns that it wouldn’t be ready in time for the 2026 season and they'd be bound by an existing contract. City council members were made aware of those remarks, reconsidered their earlier vote and ultimately voted down the repairs, pushing it ahead to the new year. When it comes to the bonds, the city administrator says the delay now gives them a chance to look into a “termination agreement." While the Rays believe the deal is all but dead, Mayor Ken Welch, city and county leaders have all believed there still may be a path forward. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/mlb/rays/rays-stadium-deal-dead-still-happening-st-pete/67-515fbc5a-109c-42fb-81f8-372c382302d4