TAMPA, Fla. – Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis gave his support to a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium and entertainment district at the current site of Hillsborough College.
Without specifically dedicating any amount of state money to the projected $2.3 billion plan, DeSantis held a news conference Tuesday at Hillsborough College to provide an update on the project.
The Rays said this week they are willing to cover half of the cost.
DeSantis — with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred, Rays ownership, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and the HCC Board of Trustees in attendance — talked about the economic possibilities the project could bring.
“We have a distressed asset,” DeSantis said of the Rays and their long stadium pursuit. “We need a new formula to make this something really viable.”
The Rays’ proposal envisions a development similar to The Battery Atlanta at Truist Park, a baseball stadium surrounded by a mix of bars, restaurants, retail spaces and residential units. Officials say the goal is to create an all-day, year-round destination, rather than a venue used only on game days.
The college campus, located on North Dale Mabry Highway across from Raymond James Stadium, is about 113 acres.
The governor stated Wednesday that nearby Orlando would like to have an MLB team but said he appreciates Rays ownership and their dedication to Tampa Bay.
“They could have easily, the Rays leadership, been doing a negotiation against one, one city or the other. They haven’t done that,” DeSantis said. “They basically said it’s the Tampa Bay Rays and we want to make it work in Tampa Bay. And if we can do that, we’re going to do that. And so I appreciate that.”
He also said, “Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay. Baseball can succeed in Tampa Bay.”
Meanwhile, the Tampa Sports Authority, along with county commissioners and the Tampa City Council, is expected later Tuesday to approve an economic impact study on the project.
”This is a big moment for Tampa Bay,” said Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby, who added stadium and projects renderings would be released in the coming days. “This is an opportunity to make a statement as a community. And all of us here today plan to do just that.”
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he believes baseball will succed in Tampa Bay. (Spectrum News image)
Manfred, MLB’s commissioner since 2015, said he has always supported the idea of baseball in the Bay area. He said, though, that he didn’t view the latest developments as a last-chance effort.
“I’m not big on predictions about last chance, more chances. I do think that the governor made an important point. You know, Florida is vibrant. There are alternatives in Florida,” he said. “And I do think we’re at a point in the history of the club that something needs to get done. But I would be hesitant to characterize it as, you know, it’s this or never again.”
Commissioner Ken Hagan said the board will discuss the team’s offer to pay for at least half the cost of a new stadium at a meeting on Wednesday.
“A minimum team’s got to be in for 50%, if not more. And again, it’s so refreshing compared to what we experienced with the previous ownership group, and they would never commit to that,” Hagan said. “So the fact that we started negotiations with that as one of our guiding principles, I think certainly goes a long way.”
Castor was also at the event and said possible “funding streams” are still being looked at.
“I have said that we’re not going to use taxpayer dollars to build a stadium, a baseball stadium. Looking at infrastructure, the part that we can play in that,” she said. “And then also, as you will learn in the next couple of days, there are viable options that can raise revenue that isn’t taxpayer dollars. And so all of that will be explored.”