The Tampa Bay Rays‘ latest quest for a new stadium passed another hurdle Wednesday, May 20, when Hillsborough County commissioners approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding for their contribution to the $2.3 billion ballpark by a 5-2 vote.
The Rays aim to construct a domed stadium across Dale Mabry Boulevard from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ home, and not far from the New York Yankees‘ spring training complex. While it’s been nearly two decades since the franchise first sought an alternative home to Tropicana Field — antiquated even before it first hosted Major League Baseball in 1998 — this particular effort aims to rally support from the state, county and city level.
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New owner Patrick Zalupski, a prominent donor to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is counting on $150 million in state funding to build the stadium on the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College. The state legislature is currently in special session.
Yet the city and state contributions are slated to be much larger. The memorandum of understanding voted on Wednesday includes $976 million from Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa, according to the Tampa Bay Times. That’s a slight decrease from the roughly $1.1 billion ask by the ballclub, which had stressed a goal of June 1 to secure agreements from the municipalities.
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Lightning, Bruins play outdoors in Stadium Series
Boston’s Morgan Geekie is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal past Tampa Bay LIghtning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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Lightning, Bruins play outdoors in Stadium Series
Boston’s Morgan Geekie is congratulated by his teammates after scoring a goal past Tampa Bay LIghtning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy.
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Lightning, Bruins play outdoors in Stadium Series
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (77) and Boston Bruins center Sean Kuraly (52) look for the puck during the first period in the 2026 Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit:
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Lightning, Bruins play outdoors in Stadium Series
Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel (38) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal 11 seconds into the game against the Boston Bruins. That sets an outdoor game record.
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Lightning, Bruins play outdoors in Stadium Series
Tampa Bay Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy (88) and teammates make their entrance to the ice in the 2026 Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins at Raymond James Stadium.
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Lightning, Bruins play outdoors in Stadium Series
Raymond James Stadium prior to the 2026 Stadium Series ice hockey game between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.
When city and county politicians expressed concerns about the outlay, the club downsized its expectations to secure memorandums of understandings by that date. Yet the 5-2 vote did not fully reflect elected officials’ skepticism of the potential subsidies.
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Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda expressed concern the city may tap into emergency reserves to fund the stadium, terming it a “really outrageous” use of public money, while Joshua Wostal, the other no vote on the MOU, called the vote “a monumental betrayal to the taxpayers of Hillsborough County,” according to the Times.
The yes votes included notes of boosterism often heard after stadium votes.
“Champa Bay was not built overnight,” commissioner Christine Miller, referencing the success of the Buccaneers and NHL’s Lightning, said, per the Times.
Zalupski and other investors purchased the Rays for $1.7 billion in September 2025. The club was sold by Stuart Sternberg after it pulled out of a deal for a multi-purpose development in the shadow of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
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Now, Zalupski has moved the ball further in efforts to land a stadium on Tampa’s side of the bay, although full county and city approval, along with other significant hurdles, still remain.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tampa Bay Rays prevail in key vote toward new $2.3 billion ballpark