Tampa Bay Rays Meet with Local Firefighters to Kickoff Community Engagement Sessions on New Ballpark and District

TAMPA, Fla.– The Tampa Bay Rays today met with Tampa Firefighters Local 754 as part of the first in a series of community engagement sessions focused on the vision for a new ballpark and mixed-use district at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.

The roundtable discussion marked an early opportunity for Rays leadership and first responders to exchange ideas, ask questions, and share feedback, with a particular focus on public safety, collaboration, and community impact.

"The Officers and Executive Board of Tampa Firefighters Local 754 appreciated the opportunity to meet today with Tampa Bay Rays leadership and hear more about their early vision for a potential ballpark and surrounding district,” said Nick Stocco, President of IAFF Tampa Firefighters Local 754. “We value being engaged early in conversations that may impact public safety and appreciate the Rays’ willingness to listen and treat Firefighters as partners in that process. Our focus at this stage is on understanding the concept and ensuring public safety considerations are a priority in the discussion from the beginning. We look forward to continued conversations and thoughtful engagement as this process moves forward in Tampa.”

Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby emphasized the importance of engaging first responders early as the team continues its outreach across the community.

“Meeting today with Tampa Firefighters was everything I anticipated and much more,” said Ken Babby, Chief Executive Officer of the Tampa Bay Rays. “Their observations and feedback were extremely valuable, and deeply appreciated. This is exactly the kind of engagement the Tampa Bay Rays are looking for as we plan to meet with additional stakeholders throughout the community in the weeks ahead toward making our Forever Home a reality.”

In the coming weeks, the Rays, Hillsborough College, and local officials will continue to host community engagement sessions across the county. These meetings will give baseball fans, Hillsborough College students and faculty, nearby residents, and community and business leaders opportunities to review the evolving concepts, ask questions, and share feedback that will help shape the final design.

To date, the Hillsborough College Board of Trustees has approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Rays to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus as part of a new ballpark district, and the Hillsborough County Commission has voted unanimously to begin negotiations with the Rays on proposed ballpark funding. The plan and partnership with Hillsborough College are designed to improve campus facilities, expand workforce development, and create curriculum and internship opportunities for more than 45,000 students, reinforcing the site as a key driver of regional growth.

The project is envisioned as a public–private partnership, with ballpark costs shared between the team, Hillsborough County, and the City of Tampa. The broader, multi-billion-dollar mixed-use development will be 100 percent privately financed.

A recent independent economic analysis projects that the mixed-use development will generate $34 billion in total economic impact, support 11,900 new permanent jobs, and attract approximately 10 million annual visitors to the campus and surrounding district once fully built out — on par with annual attendance at a major U.S. theme park.

The Rays and Hillsborough College are consulting closely with a broad coalition of project partners and stakeholders, including Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, Hillsborough County Public Schools, as well as design, engineering, development, and finance partners.

Details on upcoming community engagement sessions, including dates, times, and locations, will be announced shortly.

Rays fans and the community can learn more about the project and make a $19.98 deposit to secure early access to seating in the new ballpark by visiting NewBallpark.RaysBaseball.com.