DeSantis offers state support for Rays stadium in Tampa

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday that the state would support efforts to build a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus. He also noted that “Orlando wants this.”

The governor called the Rays a “distressed asset” with lease “issues” at Tropicana Field. He was joined by Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred, who told press conference attendees that “we’re at a point in the history of the club that something needs to get done.”

However, the two were enthusiastic for a new ownership group and the latest chapter in a decades-old quest to build a new stadium in Tampa Bay. The state will convey the 100-acre site to the college, which will then negotiate land-use agreements with the Rays.

“Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay,” DeSantis said. “Baseball can succeed in Tampa Bay. The state is going to be supporting this proposal.”

A Dunedin native, DeSantis has long opposed using public money to subsidize stadiums. He never assisted the Rays in their quest to build a ballpark in St. Petersburg, despite the previous deal falling through due to back-to-back hurricanes.

“I don’t support giving taxpayer dollars to professional sports stadiums, period,” DeSantis said in 2022. However, he could do more than convey the land to help facilitate the new project.

The state also owns several nearby properties, and DeSantis said that “potentially, all this can be used in a way that’s going to lead to a rejuvenated Hillsborough College campus and an area that’s going to really be an attraction, not just for baseball fans, but for people throughout the region who just want to have a good time.”

DeSantis would prefer to subsidize a reimagined campus to accommodate a new stadium and mixed-use district rather than “trying to rehab some of the old buildings.” The state would also likely complete transportation improvements in the area, he said.

“We do that, typically, on any of these big projects.”

A rendering of the “Innovation Edge featuring Hillsborough College,” which would house new academic facilities. Image: Tampa Bay Rays.

Rays owner Patrick Zalupski has “acted in good faith” by working to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay, DeSantis said. The team “could have easily” pitted Florida cities against each other in stadium negotiations; the governor credited new ownership for their commitment to the region.

“You don’t think Disney would put it in the Wide World of Sports?” DeSantis said. “You don’t think they’d want it by the Orange County Convention Center with Universal and all that?”

DeSantis also believes that the new ownership group has “thought hard about what you need to succeed in this day and age.” That includes a ballpark surrounded by shopping, entertainment, restaurant and lodging options, which is also what the Rays worked toward in St. Petersburg for several years.

Manfred lauded the governor for his efforts to keep the team in Tampa Bay. He said his commitment to keeping the team in the area “has been, I hope, clear and unwavering.”

“From Al Lang Stadium to George M. Steinbrenner Field, this region, the Tampa Bay region, has been a crucial part of spring training,” Manfred added. “Things took a massive step forward when the Rays came here.”

Manfred noted that the Rays – under former owner Stuart Sternberg – became one of the league’s most innovative franchises. “That tradition and history matter to us,” he said.

There is “great excitement” surrounding the new ownership group, Manfred continued. He called Tuesday’s announcement a “milestone along a path that I believe will lead to the Tampa Bay Rays being a part of this community for decades to come.”

Manfred was reluctant to call the latest stadium proposal Tampa Bay’s “last chance” to keep Major League Baseball. He said alternatives exist in Florida, “but I would be hesitant to characterize it as it’s this or never again.”

Rays CEO Ken Babby said a world-class project and partnerships would generate an over $34 billion economic impact in Tampa. The team seeks “fair public partnerships” with the state, county, and city to bring their vision to reality.

“This is bigger than baseball,” Babby said. “This is about building a stronger Tampa, a stronger region, by reinvesting back in the community and rejuvenating a college.”

Babby said the team would release stadium renderings in the coming days. Hillsborough County commissioners will receive an update on project discussions Tuesday, and an agenda item notes that the Rays will cover at least half of the construction costs.

The initial estimate for a new stadium is $2.3 billion, a $1 billion increase over the price tag in St. Petersburg. Pinellas County and the city committed over $700 million to construction and surrounding infrastructure.

Babby pledged to deliver a “generational project that will benefit everyone and change this region forever.” The Rays are contractually obligated to play at Tropicana Field for two more seasons and hope to have a “forever home” ready by opening day 2029.

Florida will vote for a new governor to replace term-limited DeSantis in November. The college recently requested $50 million from the state to build a new campus and hopes to complete construction by February 2029.