However, the two were enthusiastic for a new ownership group and the latest chapter<\/a> in a decades-old quest to build a new stadium in Tampa Bay. The state will convey the 100-acre site to the college, which will then negotiate land-use agreements with the Rays.<\/p>\n \u201cBaseball belongs in Tampa Bay,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cBaseball can succeed in Tampa Bay. The state is going to be supporting this proposal.\u201d<\/p>\n A Dunedin native, DeSantis has long opposed using public money to subsidize stadiums. He never assisted the Rays<\/a> in their quest to build a ballpark in St. Petersburg, despite the previous deal falling through due to back-to-back hurricanes.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t support giving taxpayer dollars to professional sports stadiums, period,\u201d DeSantis said in 2022. However, he could do more than convey the land to help facilitate the new project.<\/p>\n The state also owns several nearby properties, and DeSantis said that \u201cpotentially, all this can be used in a way that\u2019s going to lead to a rejuvenated Hillsborough College<\/a> campus and an area that\u2019s going to really be an attraction, not just for baseball fans, but for people throughout the region who just want to have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n DeSantis would prefer to subsidize a reimagined campus to accommodate a new stadium and mixed-use district rather than \u201ctrying to rehab some of the old buildings.\u201d The state would also likely complete transportation improvements in the area, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do that, typically, on any of these big projects.\u201d<\/p>\n A rendering of the \u201cInnovation Edge featuring Hillsborough College,\u201d which would house new academic facilities. Image: Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\n Rays owner Patrick Zalupski has \u201cacted in good faith\u201d by working to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay, DeSantis said. The team \u201ccould have easily\u201d pitted Florida cities against each other in stadium negotiations; the governor credited new ownership for their commitment to the region.<\/p>\n \u201cYou don\u2019t think Disney would put it in the Wide World of Sports?\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cYou don\u2019t think they\u2019d want it by the Orange County Convention Center with Universal and all that?\u201d<\/p>\n DeSantis also believes that the new ownership group has \u201cthought hard about what you need to succeed in this day and age.\u201d That includes a ballpark surrounded by shopping, entertainment, restaurant and lodging options, which is also what the Rays worked toward in St. Petersburg for several years.<\/p>\n Manfred lauded the governor for his efforts to keep the team in Tampa Bay. He said his commitment to keeping the team in the area \u201chas been, I hope, clear and unwavering.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cFrom Al Lang Stadium to George M. Steinbrenner Field, this region, the Tampa Bay region, has been a crucial part of spring training,\u201d Manfred added. \u201cThings took a massive step forward when the Rays came here.\u201d<\/p>\n Manfred noted that the Rays \u2013 under former owner Stuart Sternberg \u2013 became one of the league\u2019s most innovative franchises. \u201cThat tradition and history matter to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n There is \u201cgreat excitement\u201d surrounding the new ownership group, Manfred continued. He called Tuesday\u2019s announcement a \u201cmilestone along a path that I believe will lead to the Tampa Bay Rays being a part of this community for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Manfred was reluctant to call the latest stadium proposal Tampa Bay\u2019s \u201clast chance\u201d to keep Major League Baseball. He said alternatives exist in Florida, \u201cbut I would be hesitant to characterize it as it\u2019s this or never again.\u201d<\/p>\n Rays CEO Ken Babby<\/a> said a world-class project and partnerships would generate an over $34 billion economic impact in Tampa. The team seeks \u201cfair public partnerships\u201d with the state, county, and city to bring their vision to reality.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is bigger than baseball,\u201d Babby said. \u201cThis is about building a stronger Tampa, a stronger region, by reinvesting back in the community and rejuvenating a college.\u201d<\/p>\n Babby said the team would release stadium renderings in the coming days. Hillsborough County commissioners will receive an update on project discussions Tuesday, and an agenda item notes that the Rays will cover at least half of the construction costs.<\/p>\n The initial estimate for a new stadium is $2.3 billion, a $1 billion increase over the price tag in St. Petersburg. Pinellas County and the city committed over $700 million to construction and surrounding infrastructure.<\/p>\n Babby pledged to deliver a \u201cgenerational project that will benefit everyone and change this region forever.\u201d The Rays are contractually obligated to play at Tropicana Field for two more seasons and hope to have a \u201cforever home<\/a>\u201d ready by opening day 2029.<\/p>\n Florida will vote for a new governor to replace term-limited DeSantis in November. The college recently requested $50 million from the state to build a new campus and hopes to complete construction by February 2029.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the state would support efforts to build a new Tampa Bay Rays…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-143460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Innovation-Edge-1024x557.jpg\")
<\/p>\n