TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The fight over a possible Tampa Bay Rays stadium in Tampa is becoming increasingly contentious, with Mayor Jane Castor and members of City Council blaming each other for slowing the process.

Castor issued a sharp written statement after four council members blocked proposed land-use changes from being sent to state agencies for review.

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The mayor accused some members of being “intent on killing the Rays plan even before negotiations are done.”

The vote did not approve or reject a stadium deal. It would have allowed state agencies to review the proposed land-use changes before the plan returned to City Council for a final decision.

A separate Rays discussion was also removed from the Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency’s August agenda. The CRA board approved the removal in a 5-2 vote after Councilman Bill Carlson requested it.

Board members Alan Clendenin and Luis Viera voted to keep the item on the agenda.

Carlson said there was not yet a proposal ready for the board to consider and that removing the item would prevent hundreds of people from attending a meeting only to learn the discussion had been canceled.

“The CRA board only meets once a month, and there’s nothing ready to look at for the Rays yet,” Carlson said. “When the Rays are ready, we can reschedule it.”

Carlson also pushed back against Castor’s criticism, accusing the mayor’s administration of excluding City Council and the CRA board from negotiations.

“The problems we’re having with the Rays are 100% because of Jane Castor and her people,” Carlson said. “They have intentionally excluded City Council and the CRA board from the negotiations.”

Carlson said the CRA board could vote to place the item back on a future agenda, potentially as soon as next month.

He also said Rays co-president Ken Babby agreed to meet individually with each City Council member, something Carlson said members had requested for months.

The current draft calls for a proposed $180 million city contribution toward a stadium estimated to cost $2.3 billion.

Negotiations between the Rays and local governments remain ongoing. Any final agreement would still require approval from Tampa City Council. 

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