Patrick Zalupski

Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan said he's confident the Rays can work out a deal to build a stadium on the North Dale Mabry campus. If not, he told WDAE, don't be surprised if they end up in Orlando.

The team wants to build a stadium-anchored development on what is now the college's North Dale Mabry campus. The school's board of trustees voted unanimously to start negotiations with the team.

Gov. Ron DeSantis said the plan would rejuvenate the area and ensure baseball remains in Tampa Bay. On Tuesday, the college's trustees took a first step to get the ball rolling.

Few details were released for Tuesday's meeting of the Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees. It's not clear whether any subsidies other than donating public land would be involved.

Mayor Ken Welch said any agreement must “make sense for the city” and cannot impede long-awaited plans to redevelop roughly 60 acres of prime real estate surrounding the stadium.

The Rays' new owners are talking about a "public-private partnership" being the only way a new stadium could be built in the Tampa Bay area. There are a few ways that could take shape.

Will the Rays consider an open-field stadium or a retractable roof? And will the new owners increase player payroll? They addressed these, and other issues, during their introductory news conference.

On "Florida Matters: Live & Local," guests join us to discuss the Rays’ stadium plans and property tax pressures.

At an introductory news conference, Patrick Zalupski and top executives Ken Babby and Bill Cosgrove said there is a sense of urgency to get a ballpark built as part of a revenue-generating, mixed-use development.

Patrick Zalupski closed on the reported $1.7 billion purchase from Stuart Sternberg. And the first order of business for the new owner: Finding a place for his team to play.

With a sale of the team imminent, outgoing owner Stuart Sternberg says selling was hard but the right move for the Tampa Bay area: "My time had come."

The estimated $1.7 billion deal is anticipated to formally close later this week. MLB owners unanimously approved the sale Monday.