The Tampa Bay Rays say their stadium deal is halted due to Pinellas County commissioners delaying bonds to pay for the county's share of the project. In a letter written by Rays presidents Brian Auld and Matt Silverman, they say the county's "failure to finalize the bonds last month ended the ability for a 2028 delivery of the ballpark." They go on to write that a 2029 ballpark delivery would be more costly, which the Rays cannot afford to finance alone. The letter came just hours before Pinellas County commissioners were set to vote on whether to adopt a resolution finalizing changes to local tourism taxes and issuing the bonds to fund the county's portion of the deal. Despite the Rays' letter, the commissioners decided on Tuesday to once again delay this vote till Dec. 17. Auld and Silverman wrote that their architects, builders and consultants suspended work on the entire project, which includes the ballpark and the Historic Gas Plant District development. "There were dozens of people who were about to relocate to St. Petersburg along with their families. There were large contracts with long lead times," the letter reads. The Rays have spent more than $50 million already to bring the project to reality, according to the letter. "Now, that enormous investment of human and financial capital has been jeopardized by the county's failure to live up to its July agreement," the two wrote. MORE: https://www.wtsp.com/article/sports/mlb/rays/tampa-bay-rays-stadium-deal-halted/67-958e63cf-88b2-4886-98ce-7d389b502660