Tampa council approves $2.3 billion Rays stadium deal
The Tampa City Council voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve a $2.3 billion deal for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, funded by both public and private money. The vote came three months after a tentative agreement was reached for the stadium, which includes $967 million in tax money.
Rays chief executive officer Ken Babby said in a statement that the stadium project will "deliver lasting benefits" for the region.
Hillsborough County Commissioners are set to vote on the project Friday morning. The Rays ownership reached an agreement earlier this year with Hillsborough College to build the stadium and a mixed-use entertainment district on the campus and to renovate some of the school's buildings. The property sits next to the Yankees' spring training facility and across a highway from Raymond James Stadium, home of the Buccaneers.
The Rays have said they hope to have the new stadium built within three years. The team has played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg since taking the field in 1998, except for moving home games to the Yankees' George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop. The Rays' lease at the Trop runs through at least the 2028 season, and the team returned there last month 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 questions about the team's future. The Rays were bought last September by Patrick Zalupski's ownership group.