Mark Parker - St. Pete Catalyst

The ownership group “has been taking our time” with the site “because it is such a large piece of land, and the opportunities are so fantastic.”

Rays volunteers worked in shifts at the center for nine hours. They helped select and package groceries, assisted recipients to their cars, directed traffic, stocked food and checked for quality issues at the facility’s free market.

The 50-bed facility provides specialty rehabilitative services 24/7 for people with severe injuries and conditions, including strokes, brain and spinal cord injuries, and amputations.

Council members unanimously accepted the U.S. Housing and Urban Development grant and have already appropriated $13 million.

The Rays’ new ownership group, if it chooses to stay in St. Petersburg beyond 2028, will have significant space to build a new stadium.

The state’s chief financial officer said auditors should act like police investigators, and doubted protestors pay property taxes.

As the state audit began in Hillsborough this week, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia pledged that “when local governments say that they cannot cut, we’re going to show them places that they can cut.”

The city and businesses have benefitted from the regular influx of baseball fans since the Rays began play in 1998, Lawmakers say plans to replace that revenue require immediate attention.