HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Local leaders just took a giant step toward building a brand-new home for the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team. On Wednesday, the Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 to approve a special, non-binding agreement. This agreement sets up a plan to spend nearly $1 billion in public tax money to help build a massive $2.3 billion indoor stadium.
The vote allows the city, the county, and the baseball team to restart talks and figure out the final details. The new stadium would feature at least 31,000 seats and a modern design built to feel open and welcoming like a community pavilion.
The planned site for the ballpark is 130 acres of land in Drew Park. Right now, that property is used by the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College. Under the current plan, the county would actually own the stadium building itself. The Rays would lease the land from the college, and a private company tied to the team would build a mixed-use neighborhood with shops, homes, and parks right next to the stadium.
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Funding for the stadium is split between public tax dollars and private money from the team. The public tax contribution is capped at exactly $976 million. The county plans to pay its $360 million share over four years using local sales tax money, tourist taxes, reserves, and $30 million in federal disaster recovery funds. Public cash can only be spent on public areas, like surrounding roads, sidewalks, pipes, and lighting. The Tampa Bay Rays have promised to pay the remaining $1.27 billion for construction, and the team must cover any unexpected extra costs.
“The bottom line is that to not move the process forward, to simply put the brakes on it at this moment, in my view, would be highly irresponsible,” said County Commissioner Harry Cohen, who voted in favor of the deal.
Not every leader agreed with spending public funds on the project. Commissioners Donna Cameron Cepeda and Joshua Wostal voted against the deal. Wostal has been a vocal critic of using tax money for the stadium and asked multiple questions to county staff during the meeting.
This county vote is just the first major hurdle in a very busy week. The Tampa City Council has two separate votes scheduled for Thursday morning to decide if the city will pitch in its own $180 million for the project. Additionally, the college board of trustees and the Tampa Sports Authority must vote on their parts of the land lease.
The baseball team has set a deadline of June 1, 2026, for all local government groups to agree to the deal. Team officials warned that any delay could ruin state funding meant to help rebuild the college campus. The groups hope to finish negotiations quickly so the new ballpark can open in time for the 2029 Major League Baseball season.
Following the county’s vote, Tampa Bay Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby released a statement thanking local leaders.
“We are grateful to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for its approval of the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding that authorizes staff to continue working with the Rays toward a definitive agreement that keeps this project, and Tampa Bay, moving forward,” Babby said. “Today’s affirmative vote is excellent news for our community, but it is only the first of several crucial steps this week to keep the project on track and ultimately make it all come to life.”
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