As expected, the Tampa Sports Authority reminded Hillsborough County leaders in writing that any spending to help build a Tampa Bay Rays stadium will also have to account for upgrades and upkeep to Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n
In the letter, the authority maintained its support for the effort to bring the baseball team to Tampa but clarified its priority is to \u201cmaximize our economic impact on the region,\u201d and that means keeping the 65,000-seat stadium up to date.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is in all of our best interests to ensure that RJS remains a world-class venue, and we continue to meet all the NFL standards identified within our use agreement,\u201d authority chair Patrick Monteiga writes in the letter to county commission Chair Ken Hagan.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Rays’ stadium proposal feels pinch of state property tax vote, Bucs’ renovations<\/a><\/p>\n The sports authority voted to send the letter during its June 2 meeting after discussing the county commission\u2019s non-binding support to spend $796 million in public money on the construction of the $2.3 billion ballpark and related infrastructure.<\/p>\n The negotiations come ahead of the November ballot measure to reduce property taxes on top of ongoing concerns about using public subsidies on sports stadiums.<\/p>\n At the same time, about $500 million in maintenance projects have been identified for the 28-year-old NFL stadium, \u201cjust to maintain the facility in its current condition,\u201d Monteiga wrote.<\/p>\n The letter references the Bucs\u2019 plans for improvements \u2014 including shading over the seating areas \u2014 that could cost about $1 billion, about two-thirds of that from public money. Tampa Sports Authority CEO and President Eric Hart confirmed preliminary talks with the Bucs have started.<\/p>\n The renovations are a key part of negotiations to extend the NFL team’s lease, which ends Jan. 31, 2028. The Bucs must notify the authority of their plans to renew by Jan. 31, 2027.<\/p>\n In addition to about a dozen Bucs games annually, the facility hosts major concert tours and other events. It has also staged four Super Bowls, and another goal of the renovations is to get Tampa back in a rotation of host markets. The NFL now gives priority to cities with newer facilities.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are obligated to maintain the venue to the standard of other NFL venues of a similar vintage, which is a greater requirement than we have in our other professional sports use agreements,\u201d the letter reads.<\/p>\n