Pinellas set to vote on $205M Phillies stadium deal

Pinellas County commissioners will vote April 21 on a term sheet outlining a $205 million redevelopment of BayCare Ballpark, advancing a tourism-funded deal to secure the Philadelphia Phillies’ spring training presence in Clearwater through at least 2047.

The vote follows an April 2 workshop in which commissioners signaled support for using tourist development tax revenue for the project and directed staff to move negotiations toward a formal agreement. Clearwater City Council is scheduled to consider the same term sheet one day earlier, placing the city and county on parallel approval tracks.

The proposal establishes a four-party funding structure that includes up to $85 million from Pinellas County, $30 million from the city of Clearwater, about $20 million in anticipated state funding and the remaining balance from the Phillies.

The term sheet is nonbinding and outlines the framework for final agreements, including a capital funding agreement, lease and non-relocation provisions. Funding is not yet budgeted and would require additional approvals, and the term sheet itself does not commit public funds.

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Plans call for a full modernization of the BayCare Ballpark campus, including upgrades to player development facilities, expanded concourses and concessions, new fan amenities and infrastructure improvements across the stadium and training complex. The project is already underway in phases, with roughly $43 million in prior work credited to the team’s contribution, and is expected to be completed in 2029.

Under the proposed structure, public contributions are capped, with the Phillies responsible for any construction cost overruns.

The agreement would extend the team’s use of the facility from 2028 through 2047, with two five-year renewal options, while requiring the Phillies to continue playing spring training home games in Clearwater.

The funding relies on bed tax revenue rather than property taxes and is tied to the Phillies’ economic impact in the region. An economic study presented earlier this month estimated the team generates about $80 million annually in local activity.

The Phillies have trained in Clearwater since 1947, one of the longest relationships between a Major League Baseball team and a host city.