Bay News 9<\/a>. “What we are unveiling today is a response to what Rays fans have told us they want \u2014 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.”<\/p>\nThe ballpark will include a retractable batter’s eye. No other stadium has this. A center-field bar sits above it, offering fans a unique vantage point. Two massive video scoreboards will rank among Major League Baseball’s largest, and the Ray Touch Tank will return as a fan favorite.<\/p>\n
This proposed ballpark anchors a mixed-use development on Hillsborough College’s campus in the Westshore District, transforming the area into a destination. An independent economic analysis projects the broader development will pump $55.5 billion into the region over 35 years, which could reshape Tampa’s economic future. The project should support 11,900 new permanent jobs and draw 10 million annual visitors.<\/p>\n
Tampa Bay struck a memorandum of understanding with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa in May. Hillsborough County commissioners approved it by a 5-2 vote. The Hillsborough College Board of Trustees approved a lease agreement too.<\/p>\n
The franchise has called Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg home since 1998. Hurricane Milton tore the roof off in 2024. The team had to relocate to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility during the 2025 campaign.<\/p>\n
The city spent nearly $60 million fixing Tropicana Field. Workers installed a new roof, new turf, and new lights. The club returned this season.<\/p>\n
The organization wants $976 million in public contributions. That breaks down to $796 million from the county and $180 million from the city. Tampa city leaders pushed back a vote until August.<\/p>\n
The property sits next to the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and across a highway from Raymond James Stadium. Team officials want to open the new ballpark in time for the 2029 season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Tampa Bay Rays unveiled fresh renderings Wednesday. A proposed $2.3 billion ballpark in Tampa showcases a see-through…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":336343,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,3815,137,136],"class_list":["post-336342","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336342","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=336342"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/336342\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/336343"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=336342"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=336342"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=336342"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}