As expected, the Tampa Sports Authority reminded Hillsborough County leaders in writing that any spending to help build a Tampa Bay Rays stadium will also have to account for upgrades and upkeep to Raymond James Stadium.
In the letter, the authority maintained its support for the effort to bring the baseball team to Tampa but clarified its priority is to “maximize our economic impact on the region,” and that means keeping the 65,000-seat stadium up to date.
“It is in all of our best interests to ensure that RJS remains a world-class venue, and we continue to meet all the NFL standards identified within our use agreement,” authority chair Patrick Monteiga writes in the letter to county commission Chair Ken Hagan.
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The sports authority voted to send the letter during its June 2 meeting after discussing the county commission’s non-binding support to spend $796 million in public money on the construction of the $2.3 billion ballpark and related infrastructure.
The negotiations come ahead of the November ballot measure to reduce property taxes on top of ongoing concerns about using public subsidies on sports stadiums.
At the same time, about $500 million in maintenance projects have been identified for the 28-year-old NFL stadium, “just to maintain the facility in its current condition,” Monteiga wrote.
The letter references the Bucs’ plans for improvements — including shading over the seating areas — that could cost about $1 billion, about two-thirds of that from public money. Tampa Sports Authority CEO and President Eric Hart confirmed preliminary talks with the Bucs have started.
The renovations are a key part of negotiations to extend the NFL team's lease, which ends Jan. 31, 2028. The Bucs must notify the authority of their plans to renew by Jan. 31, 2027.
In addition to about a dozen Bucs games annually, the facility hosts major concert tours and other events. It has also staged four Super Bowls, and another goal of the renovations is to get Tampa back in a rotation of host markets. The NFL now gives priority to cities with newer facilities.
“We are obligated to maintain the venue to the standard of other NFL venues of a similar vintage, which is a greater requirement than we have in our other professional sports use agreements,” the letter reads.
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Hagan, who is on the sports authority board, has said modernized facilities are also required to book major concerts.
Monteiga’s letter also pointed out the upcoming needs of the county’s other sports tenants, including the 29-year-old Benchmark International Arena and 30-year-old Steinbrenner Field.
“We encourage you to consider these needs for RJS and the other aging TSA-related venues as you finalize any agreements with the Tampa Bay Rays,” he wrote.
Hillsborough recently committed about $250 million in tourist taxes for renovations to the arena, home of the Tampa Bay Lightning, along with roughly $18 million in tourist taxes for upgrades to the spring training site for the New York Yankees.
The letter essentially puts the board's priority on the record; the authority does not vote on county expenditures.
Tony Muniz, one of four county-appointed board members, made the motion to send the letter after expressing uneasiness during the June 2 meeting that a property tax cut would limit available public funds and force local governments to choose from major sports projects.
“I think that we should let the county know that we're greatly concerned,” he said. “There's only so much dollars that we have out there, and that we need to take care of our current tenants.”
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The Rays’ stadium district would go on Drew Park land, now used by Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus. The Legislature has set aside $50 million to rebuild the school as part of a surrounding multi-use development.
The city of Tampa also has a nonbinding commitment to spend $180 million on the project. That includes $100 million in tax-increment funding from a state-designated Community Redevelopment Area, although the city’s CRA board has yet to approve use of that account.
Hagan, who represents the county in the Rays' stadium talks, has said the money is available to address the needs of all existing venues as well as the Rays’ stadium. He also said the county and city previously set aside $500 million from sales tax and tourist tax coffers, anticipating the Bucs’ requests.
