Tampa Bay Rays SECURING New Stadium Site?

42 comments

1. The biggest roadblock has to be the fact that there's an active college campus being considered for a stadium district. Unless the Hillsborough College board has a site in mind for a replacement campus, the logistics are going to be a nightmare from the college's standpoint.

2. Call it disproportionate or not, the drama behind the Rays stadium is honestly movie-worthy. The drama with all the twists and turns have had one jaw-dropping moment after another. Brodie, you have done a great job capturing all of it and keeping us engaged throughout this saga. Well done, and don't hold back or apologize for covering this story. It really is one of the better "off the field" business side of the sports stories I can remember. Thanks for keeping us in the loop!

3. attempting to demolish the Community College's campus will receive a lot of local backlash. Sports should not supersede education.

4. So teams can talk to colleges? I thought the only way was to just announce the plans and let the college find out. The A's know about this?

5. if they put the stadium there they should put it more to the left so there is space between the new Stadium and the Bucs stadium and that in between could be where they put the sports district and get the Buc help in making the Sports distract a win for both teams

6. Love the Rays content keep it coming.

7. A ballpark right next to Yankees headquarters?

8. Honestly I’m to the point; I won’t even go to new stadiums. I wanted to go for a MLB tour. But I don’t like the new stadiums; they are ticket less. It’s all digital

9. I’ve been to Florida 4:35 you do not want a stadium next to ocean anymore. Stadiums in land lock with surrounding mountain or hills; is best due to climate changes

10. Dude! You don't live here. EVERYTHING IN FLORIDA IS DRAMA AND A TOTAL CLUSTERFUCK WHEN IT COMES TO DOING ANYTHING! bitching starts about something and it goes on and on and on, etc.

11. I hope rays fans get a happy ending out of all the drama that has been in this stadium saga. I know frim experience that the twist and turns isn’t easy on the fans

12. HCC has four other campuses, plus the four year public colleges in the area and other community colleges right across the border from Hillsborough County.

13. It's nice to know to be prepared for the traffic around the area. It's not bad early but late (4 o'clock after Bucs games). I know this because I head to the airport on Sundays. There is a plus that it won't take forever to get home (Plant City).

14. Would the Rays fill a Stadium in this location? They couldn't even fill Steinbrenner Field.

15. If there are height restrictions they could probably just have it built lower into the ground. Although I guess it depends on the water table

16. My take is that HCC (or called HC now) will be offered all new facilities in the same footprint as this district. That's a ton of guaranteed foot traffic when games are not being played. That's an incredible offer to these businesses that would be setting up shop in this district. The campus isn't all that big, so I can't imagine it would be that hard to make many of the classrooms on the second floors of some of the new buildings, or just one big building to house all of it in the corner. The history and students know that area, so there shouldn't be a need to relocate entirely to a new part of town. That 110 acres is huge and can accommodate both parties. HC would get a sweetheart deal where their lease/rent to the Rays would be for practically pennies. It's a win-win for both the Rays and HC. /// And, because HC is being accommodated in this joint plan, the city/county is a lot more amenable to offering public money in support.

17. Far better for fans like me that do not like going to St Pete.

18. Bad idea they should go to back to the idea of having a stadium 🏟 in st Petersburg for. Real

19. Typical Florida bullshit; someone does something and the asshats here want to copy. The little dog thinking it's a big dog syndrome. This ballpark shit has been going on for decades. EVERYTHING here takes decades to decide. Look into the Miami marine stadium. It was built of reinforced concrete but the hurricane of 1992 "destroyed" it. Nothing but bullshit talk over the years to repair it and use the property for events is still going on. A crowd funding event took place years ago and money was collected. Where did it go? Floriduh is nothing but bullshit and talk. And everything involves old people input because everything and everyone here caters to old people because there are a shitload of them here.

20. They should keep the college and move the new stadium to the river for real

21. If they build a ballpark village there then I'm sure they'll also capitalize for Bucs games and other events at Raymond James.

22. Most of the college property is parking lots or tennis courts so wouldn't be hard to build something new elsewhere.

23. the rays will make bank with the ballpark village on the events at Raymond James stadium

24. Thank you for continuing to cover this story

25. ybor would be the best location tbh

26. Who wants to pay premium prices to live, shop, dine, and go to regular games next to an international airport with a detention center next door?

27. Next to Raymond James stadium

28. Let the college move to the harbor then.

    Really, please don't tear down already existing education infrastructure..

29. A couple of thoughts: 1) being a hillsborough county resident that actually goes to rays games, how much are we paying for the stadium? 2)Dale Mabry x 275 traffic is already horrendous, infrastructure has to improve. But that location does beat the ybor location traffic and land wise 3)don’t know where the county can move HCC to, luckily they have multiple locations

30. Maybe purchase a DHS facility and tear that down instead.

31. So the Yankees won't have a problem that the Rays could move next to their spring training facilities?

32. One bonus. Rays get to use Raymond James Stadium’s parking lots during the NFL off season.

33. Rays should move to LECOM park in Bradenton. The Pirates low single A team could move to Pirate City on 27th street and the Rays could actually play to a sold out stadium. Thank me later for this idea.

34. Derby lane Dog track in St.Pete is the backup plan

35. Rays fan here living 2 hours from the site. Thanks for the update!

36. This site seems perfect! I did a bit of looking around yesterday, and many fans seem to love the idea too.

37. HCC to Rocky Point Golf Course (RPGC)??? RPGC was also a potential Rays Stadium Site.

38. The Yankees are gonna block that as it’s too close to the spring training facility

39. Thats location is 19 minutes away from me (according to my GPS)

40. If he wants to do it this bad he should get the money himself and build it himself. Tired of these rich fucks begging for tax money for their personal toys

41. What is a 'temporary season'?

42. Good summary, but there's an interesting oversight: the Rays recently hired former Tampa International Airport director Joe LoPano as their stadium consultant. Think about it. The waterfront idea sounds good and makes for beautiful renderings, but "waterfront" increases the potential problems from storm surge, which is more destructive than high winds and subsequently insurance costs would be effected as well. I completely agree that the silence from all the stakeholders speaks much more loudly than press releases, press conferences and renderings.