Rays Stadium

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.

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.

There are calls for transparency as the board negotiates using the half-cent Community Investment Tax to help pay for the new ballpark on the site of Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus.

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 city council must vote on its half of the financing, which would be done by moving $600 million from a capital improvement plan and an existing, half-penny sales tax. No new taxes would be implemented.

The League of Women Voters says that after reviewing similar plans nationwide involving new stadiums and urban development that most cities reaching agreements with baseball or football franchises ended up getting a bad deal.

After missing out for two years, Rays fans finally got to gather for their team’s regular season opener at Tropicana Field.