ST. PETERSBURG — A much-touted deal that would have given Tampa Bay Rowdies soccer owner Bill Edwards control of Al Lang Stadium has fallen apart, the Tampa Bay Times has learned.

Mayor Rick Kriseman confirmed to the Times that final negotiations had broken down in a terse statement just before 5 p.m. Wednesday: "Despite being informed by both disputing parties that an agreement was reached in principle, we have been notified that no such agreement has been reached."

Edwards has been embroiled in a legal dispute with the St. Petersburg Baseball Commission. The baseball commission will continue to manage the stadium, the mayor's office said.

Last week, city officials had presented the plan as essentially finished, just lacking some minor details — and the City Council approval.

Evelyn Delgado, chief financial officer and executive director for Englander Fischer, the law firm representing the baseball commission, blamed the breakdown on Edwards, but cited a confidentiality agreement between the parties when declining to go into detail.

"Unlike Mr. Edwards, we want to be respectful of that confidentiality," Delgado said.

Edwards had until 5 p.m. Tuesday to finalize the proposed settlement, but didn't do so, she said.

The City Council was scheduled to consider the deal at today's meeting. That now appears "not impossible, but extremely unlikely," Delgado said.

Edwards was returning from Ottawa late Wednesday after attending North American Soccer League meetings and wasn't immediately available for comment, said Beth Herendeen, an Edwards Group spokeswoman.

Edwards had pledged to put $1.5 million of his own money into upgrades at Al Lang last week in a deal touted by Kriseman as a "win-win" for the city and Edwards. The four-year agreement also would have given Edwards the right to host concerts at the stadium.

The deal would have also ended a century of baseball at the waterfront park — at least for the duration of the agreement.

Edwards also would have dropped his lawsuit against the baseball commission concerning the condition of the stadium.

City officials said this week that they expected Edwards to spend the $1.5 million in the first two years of the deal on seat and plumbing repairs, as well as other aspects of enhancing the "fan experience."

The deal wouldn't tie up plans for the prime spot along the waterfront, Kriseman said, and he emphasized public input on the ongoing waterfront master plan would be crucial in determining the venue's future.

Meanwhile, the deal redirected the $200,000 annual city subsidy from Al Lang to the Walter Fuller Baseball Complex in west St. Petersburg. The baseball commission would retain control of that facility and Edwards agreed to drop his interest in managing it, according to Kriseman administration officials.

The spat between Edwards and the baseball commission began in the spring when Edwards complained about conditions on the field and in locker rooms.

The city spent $250,000 replacing turf in early summer. Shortly after, Edwards sued the commission, raising some hackles at City Hall.

For much of the summer, the two sides were engaged in mediation. Last week, Kriseman said he had personally stepped in to find a solution.

Late Wednesday, council members scrambled for information on the scuttled agreement, likely to be a topic of discussion at today's meeting. Council member Charlie Gerdes said he was shocked by the news.

"I know a lot of energy went into getting these parties involved and ending the litigation," Gerdes said. "I mean, like, holy cow."

Contact Charlie Frago at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8459. Follow @CharlieFrago.