The Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday released a robust proposed Community Benefits and Legacy Plan outlining the team’s proposed long-term commitments tied to the Forever Home ballpark partnership with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa. The proposed plan is designed to ensure the benefits of the new ballpark, reimagined Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus, and surrounding mixed-use district extend well beyond gameday and reach residents, families, neighborhoods, workers, and businesses throughout Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa.
The proposed plan, subject to County and City feedback and additional input, prioritizes affordable and attainable housing, an anti-displacement strategy, public safety engagement with police and fire partners, transportation improvements, local hiring and MWBE participation, youth sports, literacy, workforce development, veterans’ engagement, expanded family ticket access, and public accountability. Consistent with the definitive documents, 65% of the benefits provided through the plan would be directed to Hillsborough County and 35% would be directed to the City of Tampa, with annual planning and public reporting to show where programs are operating, who is being served, and what progress is being made.
“A constant and important theme over the past year has been that the Forever Home must be about more than baseball,” said Tampa Bay Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby. “Specifically, it must also be about how this project can serve the Tampa Bay community the Rays have called home since 1998, and plan to call home forever.
“This Community Benefits and Legacy Plan, as proposed, will positively impact our entire region above and beyond the many benefits that will be produced by the ballpark, the reimagined Hillsborough College campus, and privately financed mixed-use district. It was driven by the Rays and Hillsborough County, with significant support from the City of Tampa. We all believe in the potential of Tampa Bay and care deeply about our friends and neighbors who live and work here, and that sentiment inspired the process to arrive at the proposal we are sharing today.
“In the end, this proposal is more than a plan or agreement. It’s a lasting investment and commitment to our region that the Tampa Bay Rays are proud to make, and we now look forward to continued community engagement to ensure this proposal can become reality and make a meaningful difference for a long time to come.”
Among its core priorities, the proposed Community Benefits and Legacy Plan includes commitments to support affordable and attainable housing initiatives outside the ballpark district, while also advancing anti-displacement, home-repair, tenant-stability, and property-retention efforts that can serve existing residents in nearby neighborhoods. The Rays would work with the County, City, and qualified community partners to help residents and neighborhood businesses share the benefits of investment and remain connected to their communities.
It also includes a significant transportation and mobility focus, with the Rays committing to work collaboratively with Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, the State of Florida, the Florida Department of Transportation, HART, and other partners to improve access to the ballpark district and surrounding communities. This includes coordination around roadway, signal, pedestrian, bicycle, safety, and first/last-mile planning, as well as efforts to pursue available state and federal transportation funding.
To support economic opportunity, the proposed plan includes workforce-development commitments connecting residents, students, returning citizens, and individuals facing barriers to employment with pathways to careers in sports, hospitality, construction, technology, media, and business operations. It also includes a focus on small, local, economically disadvantaged, and minority- and women-owned business enterprises.
The proposed plan further builds on the Rays existing community work through expanded youth sports programming, community field improvements, Reading with the Rays literacy initiatives, affordable and complimentary ticket access for families and community organizations, veterans and disabled veterans engagement, health and wellness partnerships, and continued communication with public safety and labor partners.
To ensure transparency and accountability, the Rays would establish a Community Benefits Advisory Committee and publish regular public reporting, including a Community Report Card tracking progress against final commitments.
The Community Benefits and Legacy Plan is intended to serve as a public framework for the Rays long-term community partnership with Hillsborough County and Tampa. Final obligations, definitions, implementation schedules, reporting requirements, and enforceable terms will be governed by the definitive documents.