Tampa Bay NOW is calling for the cancellation of Ye’s upcoming concerts at Raymond James Stadium, joining calls by U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and Jewish community advocates with concern about the artist’s scheduled Tampa performances.

Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, is scheduled to perform at Raymond James Stadium on June 26 and June 28. Tampa Bay NOW issued a press release Thursday calling for the Tampa Sports Authority Board, Hillsborough County Commissioners, state lawmakers, Raymond James Stadium and local officials to “immediately cancel all support for this concert.”

The group highlighted Ye’s history of antisemitic comments, including praise for Adolf Hitler and promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories. They argue that allowing the concerts to move forward would send the wrong message at a time of heightened concern over antisemitism.

“Providing a prominent stage to someone whose words have repeatedly fueled antisemitism is unacceptable,” Tampa Bay NOW said in its release.

The call follows a letter from Scott to the Tampa Sports Authority Board of Directors, in which he urged the Board not to “platform a hateful person pushing evil ideologies” using taxpayer money. Scott wrote that Ye’s antisemitic comments are “an affront to the values of the people of the Hillsborough community.” He argued that a taxpayer-supported stadium should not “subsidize” an event led by an artist known for spreading hateful rhetoric.

Scott also pointed to Ye’s more recent conduct, including a 2025 Super Bowl ad directing viewers to merchandise featuring swastikas. He said Ye’s remarks are “vile and a slap in the face” to Florida’s Jewish community.

“A hateful person pushing evil ideologies is not a Florida value,” Scott wrote. 

Tampa Bay NOW also sent a letter to the Tampa Sports Authority Board, Hillsborough County Commissioners, state lawmakers, Raymond James Stadium and local officials, urging them to drop support for the concerts and publicly reject Ye’s appearance.

“We encourage you to drop any support for this concert, and, in fact, provide a public statement that YE and his fellow believers are not welcome in our city!” the group wrote.

The Jewish Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of Florida’s Gulf Coast has also urged community members to contact local leaders about the concerts. In a letter to the community, JCRC called the scheduled performances “deeply troubling” for many in the Jewish community and others who oppose hate.

“Meaningful change occurs when people refuse to remain silent,” JCRC wrote. “Every phone call, email, letter, and conversation helps demonstrate that our community expects better from the institutions that serve the public.”

Tampa Sports Authority Chair Patrick Manteiga told Florida Politics on Thursday that Scott’s letter was followed by a surge of public emails to the authority, including form emails and more personalized messages from residents.

The debate places the Tampa Sports Authority in a difficult position, caught between public outrage over Ye’s past statements and contractual realities. Manteiga said canceling the contract based solely on objections to Ye’s statements could expose the authority to legal risk.

“We’re probably close to selling out 100,000 tickets. To cancel a contract with no reason other than you didn’t like his speech from six months, a year ago or whatever, I think that would probably be a dangerous situation to get into as far as liability on this contract,” Manteiga said. 

Tampa Bay NOW argued that Ye’s appearances have already faced consequences elsewhere, noting that he has been denied entry into some countries and that concerts, festival appearances and business relationships have been canceled or terminated in response to his conduct.

“Tampa Bay has long been a community that values diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect,” JCRC wrote. “Now is the time to reaffirm those values and ensure that antisemitism has no place in our community.”