The Tampa City Council voted in favor of the Rays’ proposed stadium deal on Thursday afternoon, according to multiple reports (links via Nicolas Villamil of The Tampa Bay Times and Adam Berry of MLB.com). The city approved the measure by a 4-3 margin.
Attention now turns to Hillsborough County, whose commissioners will cast their own votes tomorrow. The deal isn’t official, but it’s a major hurdle cleared in the Rays’ efforts to secure public funding toward a $2.3 billion project at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus. That’s in the City of Tampa and within walking distance of Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL’s Buccaneers. Tropicana Field is a little over 20 miles outside the city in neighboring St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.
“Today’s affirmative vote by the Tampa City Council is incredible news for the entire Tampa Bay community,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said in a press release. “The Tampa Bay Rays are grateful for the leadership and support of the City Council members to approve an investment that, when accompanied by the private funding guaranteed by the Rays, will secure the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay while creating a landmark destination neighborhood that will serve our region for generations.
We look forward to tomorrow’s Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners meeting and the opportunity to continue advancing a project that will deliver lasting benefits for the Tampa Bay region.”
The Rays’ previous stadium project — which fell apart in the wake of Hurricane Milton — would’ve been in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. Talks soured enough that the Rays pivoted to working with Tampa/Hillsborough County officials. Last year’s ownership change from Stu Sternberg to Patrick Zalupski created something of a fresh start on the team side.
Their current plan calls for $80MM in city funding and $796MM from Hillsborough County — a total of $876MM in public money. The Rays would commit to nearly $1.4 billion in private funding and would be responsible for any cost overruns. That’d go not only to the stadium but to a surrounding mixed-use development area.
If the County approves its end of the funding, the Rays would be expected to enter into a 35-year term with a non-relocation agreement. Berry wrote last week that construction could begin as soon as next month if the stadium package is approved. The Rays’ lease at Tropicana Field runs through 2028, so the clock is ticking for them to have a stadium in place for Opening Day ’29.
