Hillsborough County commissioners are beginning negotiations with the Tampa Bay Rays to build a stadium at Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus.
At a Wednesday board meeting, a few things became clearer: The cost of the stadium is now estimated to be a minimum of $2.3 billion. The team also says they'd create a private-investment of $8 to $10 billion in the surrounding development, which would include hotels, offices and restaurants.
Commissioner Ken Hagan said the county will do an independent analysis to see if the numbers work. If they don't, he said the team would likely relocate to Orlando.
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"And yesterday Gov. DeSantis and (Major League Baseball) Commissioner (Rob) Manfred both referenced Orlando as an extremely viable option," Hagan said. "Now that's not a threat, it's just reality. And I point that out because I think in some folks' minds, they feel the team will remain here no matter what. And that's simply inaccurate and frankly naive."
But Hagan promised a deal won't happen unless the numbers work.
"We are not taking the team's word on the economics and impact of the ballpark and ancillary development. We are independently verifying their projections by having AECOM perform an economic study similar to our previous ballpark efforts," Hagan said.
That would include a fiscal impact analysis and how much of a market demand there is for a ballpark and the surrounding development. Hagan said the board should get an update in 90 days.
Hagan said what makes this possible deal different from dealings with the Rays' previous ownership teams is their transparency in saying what they are looking for in terms of public subsidies.
And DeSantis' interest.
"This is the first time a governor has ever held a press conference and publicly supported not only a new ballpark, but Gov. DeSantis also stated support for the location and partnership. I don't think that can be underscored enough," Hagan told the board.
On Tuesday, DeSantis and Manfred said they supported building on the college campus. DeSantis reiterated his position that no public money would be used to build a stadium. But he expressed support for finding money to move the college's classrooms to a corner of the campus and to help widen nearby roads.
Hagan also said the team had been looking to relocate to Ybor City, but only the college offered more than the 100 acres of land the team was looking to develop.
There were a few naysayers on the commission.
Commissioner Joshua Wostal says taking money from the recently passed Community Investment Tax would violate promises made that the sales tax wouldn't pay for professional sports stadiums.
Wostal said that could impact finding bonding money for fire stations that are needed in fast-growing parts of the county.
Commissioner Chris Boles agreed.
"Any use of those funds must be limited, and I think clearly justified in structure so it does not shift resources away from fire rescue law enforcement, transportation or any other essential services that we're looking at to to fund those needs," Boles said.
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But Commissioner Harry Cohen said the public investment would be worth it to get returns in job creation and hotel stays. He also said recent talks about expanding Major League Baseball by another two teams could cost those cities an entry fee of around $2 billion.
"I think it would be very irresponsible today not to vote for this motion because this motion gives us the opportunity to pursue an idea, pursue something that is not available to any other major market in this country right now," he said, "which is the chance to have a Major League Baseball team without paying a multi-billion dollar expansion fee."
Former Rays managing partner Stuart Sternberg canceled a deal to build a stadium as part of a mixed-use development on the Historic Gas Plant District site, where Tropicana Field is located. The deal died after Hurricane Milton ripped off the dome's fabric roof in 2024, with the Rays citing delays because of the storm that likely drove up the proposal's cost.
The Rays remain under lease at Tropicana Field through the 2028 season.
