TAMPA \u2014 The Tampa Bay Rays got county approval Friday on a financing plan that will allow them to build a new stadium, a day after city officials approved their part for the $2.3 billion ballpark project that will replace the domed Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
The Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 on Friday to approve its $796 million share of the mixed-use entertainment district that includes a new 31,000-seat stadium that will be near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL\u2019s Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Rays\u2019 new stadium is expected to open in 2029. The Tampa City Council<\/a> city voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve $80 million.<\/p>\n Rays CEO Ken Babby said the team\u2019s partnership with the county and city on the project secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay.<\/p>\n \u201cWe now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,\u201d Babby said. \u201cBy making the Forever Home a reality, the Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay.\u201d<\/p>\n The Orlando Dreamers group, which had been positioning itself in case the Rays\u2019 stadium plans fell through and the owners sought a potential relocation to Central Florida, issued a statement after the funding was approved Friday.<\/p>\n \u201cWe applaud the leadership in the Tampa Bay region for recognizing the impact Major League Baseball has on a community and boldly acting in the best interests of the city,\u201d part of the statement read. \u201cMajor League Baseball can now look toward its future and expansion, and Orlando will be ready.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Orlando Dreamers\u2019 mission has never changed. We remain fully committed to bringing Major League Baseball to Orlando through expansion or relocation, and believe Central Florida represents the most compelling opportunity for MLB\u2019s future growth.\u201d<\/p>\n The Rays have committed to contributing at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost overruns. Another $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery funds.<\/p>\n The Rays ownership reached an agreement<\/a> earlier this year with Hillsborough College to build the stadium and entertainment district on the campus and to renovate some of the school\u2019s buildings. The property is located next to the New York Yankees\u2019 spring training facility and across a highway from the NFL stadium.<\/p>\n Since the team\u2019s inception in 1998, the Rays have played at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, except for moving home games to the Yankees\u2019 George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 following hurricane damage at the Trop<\/a>. The Rays\u2019 lease runs through at least the 2028 season. The team returned to the Trop<\/a> for the start of this season.<\/p>\n A proposed $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for a new ballpark adjacent to the Trop fell through last year<\/a>, raising new questions about the future of the team, which was bought last September<\/a> by Patrick Zalupski\u2019s ownership group.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been a long and challenging process, and we know that transformational projects rarely come easily,\u201d Zalupski said Friday. \u201cToday\u2019s vote represents an extraordinary milestone, not simply for the Rays or for a ballpark, but for the future of Tampa and the entire Tampa Bay region.\u201d<\/p>\n ___<\/p>\n