Tampa City Council

It was initially a tie vote on the city council. It took getting one council member out of his sickbed to get it passed.

The money for the $10 million project will come from federal and state transportation funds. When complete, Tampa Bay Boulevard will be four lanes next to the proposed stadium district.

The two class-action lawsuits challenge different aspects of the project, which is expected to take more than three years to complete along South Howard Avenue.

Tampa police say the former NFL star was trespassed after a city council meeting was disrupted. His complaint alleges that officials “escalated his presence into a governmental confrontation.”

The partnership was announced two days after the Hillsborough County Commission selected the Tampa Sports Authority as owner’s representative for the local governments.

The project was opposed by many business owners in the busy SoHo corridor of Hyde Park who are afraid the construction will affect customers for the next three or four years.

The board agreed to take up contract obligations on Nov. 12, including changes to four CRAs and the Community Benefits Agreement. The continuances won't undo any provisions of the stadium deal.

A final discussion and vote are scheduled to take place later this month and October, but the council could increase funding for HART to $1.5 million.

After years of proposals, political fights and false starts, the Rays finally have approvals for a new stadium. Now what? And what happened to plans for a pop-up concert in support of a closed bookstore?

Hurtak, 49, said she will undergo treatment for breast cancer for the next 12 weeks. She made the announcement following the council's vote on a new Rays stadium.

Some members of the Tampa City Council and Hillsborough County Commission cited the economic impact a new Rays stadium and development in Tampa would have on the region, while others questioned the financial hit and terms of the agreement.

The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday in favor of a new stadium and mixed-use development for the Tampa Bay Rays on Hillsborough College property in Tampa. It follows approval by the Tampa City Council a day earlier.