TAMPA, Fla. — If Hillsborough College becomes the new home of the Tampa Bay Rays, the $2.3 billion project would transform the school’s Dale Mabry campus, but fans of another sport say they’re worried about what this could mean for them.

What You Need To Know

The Tampa Bay Rays held a third public meeting Wednesday night to give the public a chance to learn more about the proposal to build a stadium on Hillsborough College’s campus

CEO Ken Babby fielded questions, including about what would happen to tennis courts on HC’s Dale Mabry Campus

Babby told attendees if the project moves forward, ground could break as soon as July and wrap up in time for an April 2029 opening

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The Rays held a third community engagement session Wednesday night at The Skills Center to give the public a chance to weigh in on the proposal. CEO Ken Babby told the audience that if the plan moves forward, ground could break on the project in July. Among the questions and concerns he heard was worry about what will happen to HC’s tennis courts when that happens.

“Tennis in Florida is booming, but in Hillsborough County, it’s breaking at the seams,” Dana Andrews, past president of the United States Tennis Association’s Florida chapter, told Spectrum News.

Andrews said the Dale Mabry facility is home to three percent of Hillsborough County’s tennis courts, but it sees 26% of the county’s play. She told Babby that 100 leagues call the courts home, and it saw 11,800 unique visitors in 2025.

“When you think about that type of impact and you take away those 23 courts and don’t have in your plan how to replace them, it could be devastating to the community,” Andrews told Spectrum News.

“We are committed to building a world-class tennis center as a part of this project,” Babby said during the meeting. “We’re really excited about potentially doing that in Al Lopez Park through our community benefits agreement.”

According to Babby’s presentation, agreements with the city and county could be finalized in the first two quarters of this year. He told the crowd more community meetings are expected to be scheduled in the future.

When it comes to breaking up the cost of the project, the Rays previously said the team would cover half the cost of ballpark construction. Babby’s presentation noted the Rays will also cover 100% of the privately funded mixed-use development, as well as all construction overruns, ballpark operating expenses, maintenance, and capital improvements.