As plans for a new ballpark take shape, St. Petersburg wants to see the Tampa Bay Rays undergo a second name change.

They began as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1998, then shortened their name in 2007.

The St. Petersburg City Council debated the possibility Thursday of changing the club's name to the St. Petersburg Rays. The council ultimately voted for a resolution seeking options to elevate the city's prominence with the MLB team that could include a name change.

"I think we owe it to our residents to have a discussion about this," member Gina Driscoll said.

It is not something the Rays want, team co-president Brian Auld told the council, suggesting such a requirement could torpedo the entire $6.5 billion ballpark and downtown redevelopment project.

"We are the Tampa Bay Rays. Our name is deliberately inclusive. Our fans live throughout Tampa Bay and central Florida," said Auld, noting that other local professional sports teams are the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning of the NHL. "There will not be a new ballpark nor development project if there's a requirement to change our franchise's name."