Hillsborough County Commission

Mayor Jane Castor says she expects the city council and county commission to pass the non-binding agreement, allowing negotiators to fill in the blanks on multiple documents in the complex deal.

The non-binding memorandum of understanding drops the public money involved to $976 million. The deal must be voted on next week by the Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council.

About $150 million sought to rebuild Hillsborough College isn't in the first spending offers. Budget committee Chair Ed Hooper, R-Clearwater, says the state won't act until stadium financing is complete.

The billionaire attorney calls Rays managing partner Patrick Zalupski a friend with whom he's had regular contact. The Rays, however, have an agreement to negotiate stadium plans only with Tampa and Hillsborough.

During a nearly four-hour meeting, councilors heard their first presentation on the stadium from Rays CEO Ken Babby, learned more about what public funding would be required and listened to dozens of citizens.

Presentations from the team and city staff are slated on how Tampa can cover a proposed $251 million share of the project's financing through a CRA and the Community Investment Tax.

Joshua Wostal tells WDAE the county is investigating nearly 3,000 emails sent to commissioners from one IP address in Los Angeles. He also questions whether the Rays have the financing to avoid taxpayer risk.

The Battery Atlanta's mixed-use development hasn’t been able to pay off Cobb County's $300 million subsidy, casting doubt on the Rays' similar strategy to cover a billion-dollar ask of taxpayers, writes an economist and lifelong Braves fan.

The Tampa Bay Rays want $1 billion in tax subsidies as elections loom and political attacks have begun, stirring memories of the seismic political fallout of the Miami Marlins.

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.