MLB team on cusp of ‘forever home’ as new $2.3bn ballpark takes huge step forward after ‘fractious’ city vote
The Tampa Bay Rays are a step closer to securing their ‘forever home.’
Plans for a new, $2.3 billion ballpark moved forward late Thursday, as the City of Tampa council narrowly approved a deal that will be funded by public and private money.
A tight 4-3 vote came three months after a tentative agreement was struck with local government officials, which would include $967 million in tax money.
Hillsborough County Commissioners are expected to vote on the project Friday morning (28 August.)
If the deal is approved, the Florida-based MLB team will have solidified their future plans, and will advance towards the conclusion of a stadium saga that has spanned two decades.
Rays chief executive officer Ken Babby said in a statement that the planned stadium will ‘deliver lasting benefits’ for the local area.
“Today’s affirmative vote by the Tampa City Council is incredible news for the entire Tampa Bay community,” Babby said.
“The Tampa Bay Rays are grateful for the leadership and support of the City Council members to approve an investment that, when accompanied by the private funding guaranteed by the Rays, will secure the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay while creating a landmark destination neighborhood that will serve our region for generations.
“We look forward to tomorrow’s Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners meeting and the opportunity to continue advancing a project that will deliver lasting benefits for the Tampa Bay region.”
How will the new Rays ballpark be funded?
Legislators approved the $80m funding package late Thursday, after what has been described by Front Office Sports as ‘a marathon and sometimes-fractious hearing that lasted nearly an entire day.’
The Rays are planning to build a domed facility and mixed-use development at the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough College, with the aim of moving in for Opening Day 2029.
That location is close to Tampa International Airport, and also across the street from Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL‘s
Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
New images of the proposed ballpark were released last month.
The club is set to invest approximately $1.37bn in the project, as well as all cost overruns, with the county covering $796m and the city’s portion reduced to $80m.
If the Hillsborough County Commission also approves the deal on Friday, the Rays can move to commence the bond and funding validation process before finally breaking ground on their long sought-after ballpark.
The county would own the stadium, with the Rays paying $4m annually in rent. The initial term of the use agreement is for 35 years.
“This agreement deserves our support. I’m supporting it because I believe it is in Tampa’s best long-term interest,” Tampa City Council member Alan Clendenin said.
“It is not merely a vote on a baseball stadium.
“It is a vote on whether Tampa is prepared to compete for investments, jobs, housing, education and opportunity, or whether we’re willing to let those opportunities go elsewhere.”
The Rays currently play at the recently-renovated Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, but their agreement will expire after the 2028 season.
They hope for ‘substantial completion’ of the new ballpark by the end of 2028, and ‘final completion’ by March 31, 2029, in time for Opening Day.
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