The Hillsborough County Commission voted Friday, Aug. 28 to approve construction of a proposed stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, near the campus of Hillsborough College in the city of Tampa. The critical vote comes one day after the Tampa City Council approved the city’s portion of the proposed $2.3 billion stadium financing deal by a 4-3 vote. Just don't expect shovels in the ground this weekend.
Rays CEO Ken Babby said Friday (via Rays television reporter Ryan Bass) that four things must happen first: The Rays have played at Tropicana Field in nearby St. Petersburg since the franchise's inception in 1998, with the exception of a one-year hiatus in Tampa in 2025, while Tropicana Field underwent repairs in the wake of Hurricane Milton. More news: Rays Relocation Rumors Dead After $2.3 Billion Stadium Announcement The new stadium now has a timeline to open for the 2029 MLB season, according to multiple reports, and puts to rest the relocation rumors that have followed the team for years.
"By virtue of its approval of a county investment in partnership with the Rays and the City of Tampa, today our entire region can celebrate the coming of a privately financed and mixed-use neighborhood, a reinvented Hillsborough College campus, and a new ballpark that secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball here in Tampa Bay." More news: Hall of Fame ‘Voice of the Expos' Dies According to MLB.com, the Rays are set to invest approximately $1.37 billion in the stadium project, plus all cost overruns, with the county covering $796 million and the city’s portion set at $80 million. The county would own the stadium. The Rays would pay $4 million annually in rent under a 35-year lease.
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