New Rays owners introduced, pledge to build new stadium in Tampa Bay
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The new ownership group of the Tampa Bay Rays intends to keep the team playing in St. Petersburg, at least for now, while exploring potential sites around Tampa Bay for a permanent stadium.
On Tuesday morning at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the team’s new leadership, Managing Partner and Co-Chair Patrick Zalupski, Co-Chair Bill Cosgrove, and Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby, outlined their long-term vision to a room filled with reporters, former team executives, and public officials from both sides of the bay.
“It’s no secret that we need a new, forever home to secure the Rays’ long-term future in Tampa Bay, and delivering upon that objective will be our first priority,” said Zalupski, CEO of Jacksonville-based Dream Finders Homes Inc. “Our goal is to have a new world-class ballpark ready for opening day 2029.”
Under their current lease agreement, the Rays are required to play at Tropicana Field for three more seasons.
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For generations of St. Pete residents, The Chattaway has been the kind of place people do not simply visit. They return to it.
They come back for the cheeseburgers, the beer, the photos and plaques crowding the walls, and the leafy courtyard that feels tucked away from the city around it.
Some remember riding bikes there as kids. Others had first dates beneath its trees. Nearly everyone has a story.
Today, that story enters a new chapter.
The Chattaway has reopened at 358 22nd Avenue South after Cullen Mahoney, Ferg’s Sports Bar owner Mark Ferguson, and Shrimpy’s Waterfront owner John John Delladonna purchased both the restaurant and the 0.70-acre property beneath it.
Customers returning today will find the familiar restaurant, with several practical upgrades designed to make it work better day to day.