It appears the idea of the Tampa Bay Rays finding a new home in the Carillon Business Park is all but dead.
The developer responsible for the idea, Echelon Group, is ready to move forward with a plan to build shops and apartments on the land, according to Bay News 9's partner paper the Tampa Bay Times.
The plan was spearheaded by Darryl LeClair with the Echelon Group. LeClair says there's a small window of time - less than a year - for the Rays to come to the table to talk about the Carillon plan.
It was a plan that excited St. Pete Councilman Jim Kennedy, but he was disappointed to hear the organization wasn't as excited as the city.
"As I understand it the Rays have never responded, never inquired, and never followed up on anything," said Kennedy.
A season ticket holder himself, Kennedy says the city has done everything it can to facilitate an agreement to keep the Rays in the Bay.
"There's just not a whole lot of communication," he said, referring to the Rays organization.
The team is locked in a usage agreement with the city to play at Tropicana Field until 2027. It's an agreement Kennedy and other city leaders aren't ready to throw out.
"The city has reached out and is willing to modify the use agreement and allow building a new stadium and look at these things, but what they're not willing to do is give away all the investment the citizens of St. Pete and residents of Pinellas County have made into Tropicana Field," said Kennedy.
Kennedy says the ball is in the Rays' court.
The Rays organization declined to comment on the Carillon plan.