The $2.3 billion baseball stadium sought by the Tampa Bay Rays has reached first base politically with a vote approving a preliminary financing plan including millions of public dollars by the Hillsborough County Commission.
The panel voted 5-2 Wednesday in favor of the non-binding plan, which next goes to the Tampa City Council on Thursday. If the proposal passes there, a new round of negotiations will begin on a final plan that would require future votes.
Commission chair Ken Hagan said the plan is a “once in a lifetime project” that would be one of the largest in county history.
“Today is a monumental day,” Hagan said. “Let’s not lose track that this is a work in progress.”
The two votes against the proposal were cast by commissioners Joshua Wostel and Donna Cepeda, both of whom said they cannot support use of taxpayer money for a professional baseball team’s stadium. Cepeda said a majority of her constituents oppose it, and Wostal called the plan a “monumental betrayal of the taxpayers.”
“I will not support it,” Cepeda said.
When would the new stadium be ready?
The goal is to have the new ballpark ready for the 2029 season, with a 31,000-seat capacity. The Rays will continue to play at Tropicana Field across the bay in St. Petersburg until then, if the Tampa project comes to fruition. The proposal also envisions private investment for nearby restaurants, bars, retail and other development on a 128-acre site.
Under the plan, the county would pay about $796 million and the city’s tab would be $180 million from sales taxes and other revenue sources. The Rays, meanwhile, plan to cover half the stadium cost, about $1.27 billion plus any overruns. No new taxes would be imposed.
Rays officials say the tentative agreement would guarantee the team stays in the Tampa Bay area for decades to come. Hillsborough County would own the stadium and lease it to the Rays for 35 years, with options to renew.
The chair of the Tampa City Council, Alan Clendinen, said in a column in the Tampa Bay Times that the project would be a win for the city and baseball fans after years of uncertainty about whether the team will stay or relocate to Orlando, Nashville, Tenn., or Charlotte, N.C., among other cities.
“I understand people are skeptical. We’ve been burned before. But this is not the same kind of deal,” Clendenin wrote. “Change can be difficult, but if you look at the project structure and the financial breakdown, you’ll see this is not another ‘stadium deal.’ This is a city building deal.”
Several people who testified at Wednesday’s county hearing urged the commission to slow down and possibly hold a voter referendum on the use of so much public money that could go to many other community needs.
“We do not want tax money going to a Rays stadium,” said Carmen Edmonds, chair of the county Republican executive committee. “We are not getting any benefit back from the Rays stadium.”
Previous plan to build new ballpark in St. Petersburg failed
The proposal comes after a previous plan for a new ballpark and surrounding development in St. Petersburg fell through. After that, Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in 2024, forcing the Rays to play home games last year at Tampa’s small Steinbrenner Field, spring training home of the New York Yankees.
The domed ballpark nicknamed the Trop in St. Petersburg was repaired and the Rays are now back on the field they have called home since their inaugural 1998 season. They have been one of the top MLB teams so far this spring, with a first-place 32-15 record going into Wednesday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.
Where would the new stadium be built?
The new stadium would be built on the campus of Hillsborough College in Tampa, adjacent to Steinbrenner Field and across the street from Raymond James Stadium where the NFL’s Buccaneers play.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who played college baseball at Yale, has pledged to support the plan even though he has not always been a fan of public financing for sports stadiums.
The plan also calls for about $150 million in state funding to rebuild part of Hillsborough College and upgrade roads and other infrastructure. No state money would go to the stadium itself.
Curt Anderson is the Policy and Politics Reporter for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY at https://tallahassee.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: First public money of Rays $2.3 billion stadium funding approved
Reporting by Curt Anderson, USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
