TAMPA, Fla. – With Hillsborough County approving a non-binding agreement on the Rays’ $2.3-billion stadium on Wednesday, the Tampa city council is up to bat today.
The council is scheduled to vote on the measure Thursday morning.
By a 5-2 vote, the commission approved a memorandum of understanding related to the building of a new stadium.
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“We are grateful to the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners for its approval of the non-binding Memorandum of Understanding that authorizes staff to continue working with the Rays toward a definitive agreement that keeps this project, and Tampa Bay, moving forward. The Rays believe deeply in the power of a new ballpark, a reinvented Hillsborough College, and a privately financed mixed-use neighborhood that will positively shape our region well into the future,” the Rays said in a statement.
Also Wednesday, the Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees voted to approve moving forward with the ground lease as part of the next step in our partnership with the team.
The Rays are seeking $976 million in public contribution to the project with $796 million from the county and $180 million from the city.
Team officials say they want to be in the new facility, targeted for the Hillsborough College campus on Dale Mabry Highway in time for the 2029 season.