Tampa City Council

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.

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.

The county commission also received the requested outside legal opinion on whether it could use the Community Investment Tax to help fund the stadium.

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.

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.

Hillsborough schools are rolling out smart sensors that detect vape clouds, the Legislature's last week, meeting a Tampa City Council member and taking a dive at an aquarium in Lecanto.

Officials hope measures, like narrowing roadways and lowering the Seventh Avenue speed limit, will increase safety to protect pedestrians in the district.