Hillsborough College

The team said it remains committed to a 2029 opening but pushed back on Hillsborough officials' requests for stronger financial guarantees and earlier private funding disclosures.

Despite a Rays warning that changing the timeline would jeopardize the project, the team says it's working "diligently" on a response to the county's list of 14 unresolved conditions.

Commissioner Ken Hagan tells WDAE existing restricted revenues can fund most of the county's share, but critics of the plan say taxpayers are still exposed through reserves and emergency dollars.

The team reduced its public funding request to about $1 billion for its $2.3 billion proposed stadium, but Hillsborough officials say financing assumptions and deal terms still require further talks as deadlines near.

With the Rays under new ownership led by a major DeSantis and Republican donor, the governor is striking a different tune when it comes to funding sports stadiums.

The proposal comes after weeks of negotiations with local officials but has not been vetted by public boards. It lays out ambitious economic projections to recoup the upfront investment.

CEO Ken Babby will lead the fourth gathering to present the Rays' vision for the ballpark and hear what attendees think about it. The session begins at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Press Box in South Tampa.

County commissioners want to have a financing package for the estimated $2.3 billion project ready beforehand. Meantime, the Rays have scheduled two more community meetings in Tampa.

The team is revising the proposed ballpark roof after an independent analysis suggested the design could cost at least $300 million more than expected. Public funding and construction timelines remain uncertain.

About 100 attendees learned more about financing and the future of Hillsborough College during the first community meeting on a ballpark-anchored development on the site of the Dale Mabry campus.

Representatives from the team and Hillsborough College will attend the community sessions. The first of three is scheduled Tuesday at the Dale Mabry campus, with more to be announced.

The state holds the right to take back the 22 acres if the “components” of the new stadium do not exist within five years of the transfer, according to the Cabinet's agenda item.