Two votes, two days, one stadium
The Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners approved plans for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark today, voting 5-2 in favour of a stadium on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. Tampa’s city council had cleared the same project 4-3 a day earlier.
That closes the political file the franchise has been dragging since the Tropicana Field era started to run out. The Rays have played in St. Petersburg since 1998 and their use agreement there expires after the 2028 season.
Timing now drives everything. Construction has to start this fall for the ballpark to open ahead of the 2029 season.
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Who pays what
The county will own the stadium, priced at roughly $2.36 billion. Tampa contributes $80 million and the county $796 million. The Rays carry about $1.37 billion plus every dollar of cost overrun, and pay $4 million a year in rent.
The lease runs 35 years and includes a non-relocation agreement. The design calls for a fixed roof and a minimum of 28,000 seats, which would place it among the smaller parks in the majors and reflects what Tampa Bay actually draws.
“We recognize there is still important work ahead,” said Rays managing partner and co-chair Patrick Zalupski, who thanked the people who “invested their time, energy, ideas and trust in getting us to this moment.”
Reaction from the league and across the highway
Rays CEO Ken Babby framed the vote as the moment the region secured “the long-term future of Major League Baseball here in Tampa Bay,” pointing to a privately financed mixed-use district and a rebuilt college campus alongside the ballpark.
Commissioner Rob Manfred told the Tampa Bay Times the decision reflected “the interests and priorities of the community” while locking in a long-term home for the club, ending years of speculation about the Rays leaving the market entirely.
The Buccaneers welcomed the news from across Dale Mabry Highway, where Raymond James Stadium sits. Two major-league venues will now face each other on the same road, sharing traffic, parking and a fan base.
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