Back to square one. When the Rays and development partner Hines were selected to redevelop the Gas Plant District last year, elected officials and baseball fans across Tampa Bay had hoped it would end years of uncertainty surrounding the fate of the site and the team’s future in the region.

After the Rays withdrew from a $1.3 billion ballpark deal earlier this month, their future in the Tampa Bay area remains uncertain.

With the apparent collapse of the long-negotiated St. Petersburg deal for the Rays, an Orlando group hoping to bring big-league baseball to the City Beautiful said Friday it has an “anchor investor” to buy the team, and property secured to build a stadium.

Florida’s Governor says MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants to keep baseball in the Tampa Bay market amid uncertainty about the franchise’s future. The Rays’ status is in some doubt. A stadium deal with St. Petersburg has fallen through, and the team will play at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field this season as repairs continue on Tropicana Field’s roof.

Tampa Bay Rays owner Stuart Sternberg said the team will not meet the deadline to move forward on a new stadium. Here's what it means for the team's future.

When asked on Friday about the future of the Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signaled support for the franchise, saying he's hopeful the team will remain in the Bay Area for the foreseeable future.