08/28/26 10:38:00
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08/28 22:37 CDT Tampa Bay Rays set for new $2.3B stadium project after county
and city approve financing plan
Tampa Bay Rays set for new $2.3B stadium project after county and city approve
financing plan
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) --- The Tampa Bay Rays got county approval Friday on a
financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city
officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will
replace the domed Tropicana Field.
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve its $796
million share of the mixed-use entertainment district that includes a new
31,000-seat stadium that will be near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rays' new stadium is expected to open in 2029. The
Tampa City Council city voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve $80 million.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said the team's partnership with the county and city on the
project secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.
"We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough
County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will
indeed happen," Babby said. "By making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are
now home forever in Tampa Bay."
The Rays have committed to contributing at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost
overruns. Another $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery funds.
The Rays ownership reached an agreement earlier this year with Hillsborough
College to build the stadium and entertainment district on the campus and to
renovate some of the school's buildings. The property is located next to the
New York Yankees' spring training facility and across a highway from the NFL
stadium.
Since the team's inception in 1998, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field in
St. Petersburg, except for moving home games to the Yankees' George M.
Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop. The Rays'
lease runs through at least the 2028 season. The team returned to the Trop for
the start of this season.
A proposed $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for a new ballpark adjacent to the
Trop fell through last year, raising new questions about the future of the
team, which was bought last September by Patrick Zalupski's ownership group.
"This has been a long and challenging process, and we know that
transformational projects rarely come easily," Zalupski said Friday. "Today's
vote represents an extraordinary milestone, not simply for the Rays or for a
ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region."
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