{"id":334407,"date":"2026-07-09T14:46:08","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:46:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/334407\/"},"modified":"2026-07-09T14:46:08","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T14:46:08","slug":"first-look-at-rays-proposed-tampa-stadium-interior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/334407\/","title":{"rendered":"First look at Rays\u2019 proposed Tampa stadium interior"},"content":{"rendered":"

A translucent roof framing Tampa skies and expansive plaza entrance anchored by an aquarium view of cownose rays are among the highlights in a new set of renderings of the Tampa Bay Rays\u2019 proposed $2.3 billion ballpark.<\/p>\n

The team released the interior images with a video prepared by Populous, the stadium designer, Wednesday night. It\u2019s the first glimpse of what fans will see inside the building, which the team hopes to open for the 2029 season.<\/p>\n

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The predominant feature is the see-thru cantilevered roof, with a view of what the team envisions will be a privately financed $8 billion mixed-use district outside the ballpark. One eye-catching illustration shows a night game with lightning overhead.<\/p>\n

\u201cDynamic lighting systems will enhance night games, while expansive views of the sky and surrounding mixed-use development create an open yet connected feeling,\u201d the team\u2019s news release says.<\/p>\n

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The renderings include views of various seating areas, including a bar overlooking a retractable batter\u2019s eye wall in center field and two large video boards that \u201cwill rank among the largest and most technologically advanced in Major League Baseball,\u201d according to the release.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: Rays celebrate Longoria\u2019s career with number retirement, induction in team\u2019s Hall of Fame<\/a><\/p>\n

The ballpark will seat about 28,000 fans with \u201cspecial event capacity expandability,\u201d which is where the retractable batter\u2019s eye could come into play. Three primary levels (main, mezzanine, upper) are planned, with general, premium and group areas.<\/p>\n

The plaza, which enters the seating bowl from center field, will be nearly an acre, \u201cwith special touches that bring the outside inside,\u201d such as palm trees.<\/p>\n

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And the fever of rays that have called Tropicana Field home since 2006 will be moving on up, if plans hold. Fans in the plaza and the field area will see an aquarium-like touch tank that is deeper and taller than the Trop\u2019s 10,000-gallon pool in right-center field. The rehabilitated and rescued fish are cared for by the Florida Aquarium.<\/p>\n

The outfield dimensions and other game- and player-related items are still under review.<\/p>\n

If financing is secured, the stadium would go on about 130 acres now occupied by Hillsborough College\u2019s Dale Mabry campus in Tampa\u2019s Drew Park neighborhood, across the street from Raymond James Stadium. The surrounding district would include residential, retail, business, recreation and education space anchored by a \u201creimagined\u201d college campus.<\/p>\n

ALSO READ: DeSantis restates support for Rays stadium with $50 million budgeted for Hillsborough College<\/a><\/p>\n

Design elements and related considerations continue to evolve as the Rays work with elected officials and staff from the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County toward a funding agreement. Negotiations are continuing on definitive documents needed to secure $976 million in public financing. The Rays have committed more than $1.25 billion for the ballpark.<\/p>\n

One unresolved issue is how future property tax growth within the city\u2019s Drew Park Community Redevelopment Area would be pledged through tax-increment financing to help pay for the ballpark. The Tampa Bay Times reported the parties are discussing transferring the CRA to the county, which could reduce Tampa\u2019s contribution from $180 million to $80 million.<\/p>\n

Tampa\u2019s CRA board, which is comprised of the city council, is slated to vote on a nonbinding stadium agreement Aug. 20.<\/p>\n

The Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council must approve the final agreements, although the team has already initiated the process for hiring a construction manager by Aug. 14 that can \u201cmobilize immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the release, team CEO Ken Babby said design elements were added in \u201cresponse to what Rays fans have told us they want \u2013 a comfortable and inviting ballpark that honors the intimate connection between fans and the game, while at the same time incorporating modern amenities and design innovations that they expect and deserve.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rick Mayer is a reporter for WUSF, the bay area\u2019s NPR affiliate.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A translucent roof framing Tampa skies and expansive plaza entrance anchored by an aquarium view of cownose rays…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":334408,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-334407","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\/334407","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=334407"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/334407\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/334408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=334407"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=334407"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=334407"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}