A new delay in the Rays stadium vote comes as officials remain divided over funding, with key questions still unresolved ahead of a public workshop
TAMPA, Fla. — A vote on a proposed deal to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Tampa has been delayed again, as negotiations continue over how to fund the project.
A city-led workshop scheduled for Tuesday night will give leaders and the public an updated look at where the deal stands.
It has been three months since the Rays released renderings of a proposed stadium, but the agreement needed to move the project forward remains unresolved.
The proposal calls for more than $1 billion in public funding, and documents obtained by 10 Tampa Bay News show several key issues still under negotiation between county attorneys and the Rays.
One major point of disagreement centers on financial risk tied to tax revenue. County leaders are seeking stronger guarantees if projected revenues fall short, while the Rays are proposing a more limited reserve fund instead of a full backstop.
County officials are also asking for more information about the team’s private funding, including where that money would come from and when it would be available. The Rays have said those details are not typically finalized at this stage and would be addressed later as part of final agreements and league review.
Another area of concern is the potential use of county reserve funds, which are largely built from property tax dollars. The proposal includes using about $132 million from those reserves, including $20 million set aside for disaster response and $30 million for future pet resources facility needs.
Hillsborough County Commissioner Joshua Wostal criticized that approach.
“They are now trying to raid our property taxes, our catastrophic property tax reserves, our pet resources facility—I don’t know what the dogs and cats did to draw the ire of the Rays,” Wostal said.
There are also disagreements over stadium use and revenue. The Rays are proposing a nominal annual rent payment and have pushed back on sharing revenue from naming rights or sponsorships, arguing the overall deal reflects their financial contribution.
The vote on the deal has now been delayed three times over nearly two months, though the Rays are still targeting a June 1 deadline.
10 Tampa Bay News spoke to Ken Babby, CEO of the Rays, Monday night. He said the team, city and county are still actively working together to get a deal done. He said the focus is solely on a deal in May and would not say what will happen if they fail to reach an agreement by that deadline
The workshop begins at 5 p.m. and will include an opportunity for public comment.