The Tampa Bay Rays could see a vote occur on the leading candidate for a new Rays stadium as soon as next week, according to breaking news from the Tampa Business Journal:
The Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees is expected to hold a special meeting Jan. 20 to vote on a deal that would make way for the Rays to turn the college’s North Dale Mabry campus into a 110-acre mixed-use district with a new ballpark, according to sources with knowledge of the deal.
The new Rays ownership group announced an aggressive 2029 timeline for a new stadium to be built, which practically has meant a new stadium location would have to be announced before Opening Day 2026.
At the new ownership group’s introductory press conference, led by real estate investor Patrick Zalupski, the Rays were not shy about their desire for at least 100 acres, a qualification which narrowed their search considerably.
Still unknown: how would this stadium, along with any larger improvements needed for the area’s redevelopment, be financed?
Recent stadium deals in Washington DC and Kansas City have featured eye-popping amounts of public subsidy, over $1 billion in each deal, and with the Buccaneers and Lightning in need of stadium investments, it will certainly take some quick and keen negotiating.
Again, from the Tampa Business Journal:
Rays representatives met with county staff on Monday, sources said, though it’s not known if the team has struck a deal for county funding. A spokesperson for Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the HC meeting is not on the mayor’s calendar.
Our assumption is that next Tuesday’s HCC board vote will indicate that the Rays are focused on the Dale Mabry campus site, but it may take longer before the financial feasibility of a Dale Mabry stadium/entertainment district becomes clear.
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