TAMPA -- The Rays are one vote away from securing their “Forever Home” in Tampa.
The Tampa City Council on Thursday voted 4-3 to approve the agreement for the Rays’ proposed $2.36 billion ballpark anchoring a mixed-use development on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.
The Hillsborough County Commission is scheduled to vote Friday morning on the deal. If county commissioners approve the deal, the Rays will have solidified their future plans and nearly concluded a stadium saga that has spanned two decades.
“Today’s affirmative vote by the Tampa City Council is incredible news for the entire Tampa Bay community,” Rays chief executive officer Ken Babby said in a statement. “The Tampa Bay Rays are grateful for the leadership and support of the City Council members to approve an investment that, when accompanied by the private funding guaranteed by the Rays, will secure the future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay while creating a landmark destination neighborhood that will serve our region for generations.
“We look forward to tomorrow’s Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners meeting and the opportunity to continue advancing a project that will deliver lasting benefits for the Tampa Bay region.”
Tampa City Council members Alan Clendenin, Naya Young, Luis Viera and Bill Carlson voted in favor of the proposal. Lynn Hurtak, Guido Maniscalco and Charlie Miranda voted against the deal.
“I want to thank our City Council members who voted today to move this transformational project forward,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said in a statement. “They recognized an extraordinary opportunity to secure the Rays’ future in Tampa and advance a development that will create jobs, spur investment and deliver lasting benefits for our community.
“The opportunity before us is about much more than a ballpark. It’s about jobs, economic development, new investment and creating a destination that will generate benefits throughout Hillsborough County for decades to come.”
In late May, the council narrowly moved to pass a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) that outlined the framework of a deal. That was a conditional approval, however, as Carlson clarified he was voting “yes” to continue discussions but would vote against the deal as it was constructed at the time.
That led to a significant change in the city’s part of the deal. The definitive documents released last Friday replaced Tampa’s $100 million Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) contribution with a Community Development District (CDD) that will be privately financed by the Rays.
“I didn’t change my mind. The deal changed,” Carlson said during Thursday’s meeting. “The only thing that changed is I’m representing the people of this city, and I want to get what’s in the best interest of the city.”
Now, the Rays are set to invest approximately $1.37 billion, plus all cost overruns, with the county covering $796 million and the city’s portion reduced to $80 million. Viera called it a “good deal for the City of Tampa,” praising the Rays’ “extremely inclusive” approach in negotiating the agreement.
“This deal is not perfect,” Young added. “But what I do see is opportunity.”
If the Hillsborough County Commission also approves the deal on Friday, the Rays can move to commence the bond and funding validation process before finally breaking ground on their long sought-after ballpark.
The county would own the stadium, with the Rays paying $4 million annually in rent, and the initial term of the use agreement is for 35 years.
“This agreement deserves our support. I’m supporting it because I believe it is in Tampa’s best long-term interest. It is not merely a vote on a baseball stadium,” Clendenin said during the City Council meeting. “It is a vote on whether Tampa is prepared to compete for investments, jobs, housing, education and opportunity, or whether we’re willing to let those opportunities go elsewhere.”
The Rays’ use agreement to play at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg will expire after the 2028 season. In the documents released last week, the Rays laid out a preliminary project schedule in which mobilization and site prep begins next Tuesday, with “substantial completion” of the ballpark by the end of 2028 and “final completion” by March 31, 2029, in time for Opening Day.