Tampa Bay Rays’ $2.3B Stadium Deal Approved By Tampa, Hillsborough Officials

TAMPA, FL — The Tampa Bay Rays secured a $2.36 billion deal for a new ballpark after crucial votes of approval by the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission on Thursday and Friday, respectively, reports said.

The Rays’ planned stadium is part of a larger mixed-use neighborhood development anchored by a reimagined Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Campus that it will build. The projected opening for the stadium is 2029.

Whether the project moved forward depended on the support of county and city leaders.

Under the current agreement, the Rays are set to invest about $1.37 billion into the project, as well as any overruns, according to MLB.com.

The county will cover about $796 million, while the city will put forth $80 million.

The Tampa City Council narrowly approved the development agreement and stadium funding in a 4-3 vote on Thursday, Bay News 9 said.

“We’re not agreeing to cover cost overruns. We’re not assuming responsibility for construction defects. We’re not committing to unlimited public funds without conditions, oversight, or accountability,” council Chair Alan Clendenin said.

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Council members Charlie Miranda, Guido Maniscalco, and Lynn Hurtak were the no votes against the agreement. Clendenin, Bill Carson, Luis Viera and Naya Young were in favor of it.

The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve the county’s funding and role in the stadium project, WUSF reported.

Commissioners Harry Cohen, Gwen Myers, Christine Miller, and Chris Boles, as well as commission Chair Ken Hagan voted yes to support the project. Donna Cameron Cepeda and Joshua Wostal voted no.

“The Tampa Bay Rays enthusiastically thank and applaud the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for making history. By virtue of its approval of a county investment in partnership with the Rays and the City of Tampa, today our entire region can celebrate the coming of a privately financed and mixed-use neighborhood, a reinvented Hillsborough College campus, and a new ballpark that secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball here in Tampa Bay,” the team’s chief executive officer Ken Babby said in a statement.

Patrick Zalupski, managing partner and co-chair of the Rays, added, “This has been a long and challenging process, and we know that transformational projects rarely come easily. Today’s vote represents an extraordinary milestone—not simply for the Rays or for a ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region.”

Zalupski continued, “A destination neighborhood, anchored by a rejuvenated Hillsborough College campus and a Forever Home ballpark, is now within reach because community leaders, public servants, and partners came together with a shared belief in what this project can mean for generations to come.”