Big week for Tampa Bay baseball fans: New Rays ballpark renderings are released, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis endorses a new ballpark and mixed-use development at the Hillsborough College site.
The Rays ballpark renderings follow the general blueprint of the development of the 113-acre Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College, located south of Steinbrenner Field (spring-training home of the New York Yankees) and west of Raymond James Stadium (home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers). The plan divides the site into four quarters: A Champions Quarter containing the $2.3 billion ballpark at the corner of Dale Mabry and West Tampa Bay Boulevard; an Invention Edge housing the rebuilt Hillsborough College campus; The Row, a street running through the development; and The Canopy, open parkland marked by shade and greenery. The goal to create an environment that brings fan in early and keeps them after a game, while also attracting interest from Yankees and Buccaneers. If the plan seems familiar, it should be: this is the same exact blueprint the Atlanta Braves used to create Truist Park and The Battery mixed-use district in Cobb County.
Most of the Rays ballpark renderings cover the ballpark and its associated amenities in a mixed-use district save the following rendering, which shows what a new Hillsborough College campus could look like:
“I’m incredibly grateful for what our organization and the Tampa community have accomplished in just over 100 days since acquiring the team, and of the progress we are making together toward a Forever Home for the Rays and our loyal fans,” said Patrick Zalupski, Managing Partner of the Tampa Bay Rays, via press release. “Hillsborough County’s unanimous vote is a significant milestone and a clear signal that Tampa is serious about keeping Major League Baseball in this region and transforming Tampa Bay for generations to come.”
“We are moving into the next phase of this process with excellent momentum, thanks to the outstanding support of community leaders and our staff and partners here at the Tampa Bay Rays,” added Ken Babby, Chief Executive Officer of the Tampa Bay Rays, via press release.. “We’re proud to share our bold and dynamic vision for the ballpark, and believe strongly in its ability to benefit the team and our fans, Hillsborough College, the surrounding neighborhoods and the entire region.
“Our community can be assured, however, that we want the ballpark and district design to reflect the voices of the people who live, work, study, and operate businesses here. In that spirit, we look forward to meeting and listening to as many people from across Tampa Bay as we can in the weeks ahead.”
The new Rays ownership hit the ground running after closing on a purchase of the team in October 2025. We had been reported that this site was the leading contender to house a new Rays ballpark even before the sale closed, and once it closed the new owners moved quickly, announcing mid-January an agreement with the Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees on a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to discuss an extreme makeover of the Dale Mabry campus. Yesterday the Hillsborough County Commission voted unanimously to begin negotiations with the Rays on proposed ballpark funding, though plenty of discussion remains on the exact funding plan. The Rays are currently discussing a plan where the team would pay at least 50 percent of the ballpark cost (including construction overruns, future repairs and renovations) and public entities–Hillsborough County, the city of Tampa, the stadium authority–would pick up the other half, potentially though a hike in the county’s hotel/motel tax.
Also expressing support albeit with a few caveats: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, in a WUSF interview:
“The Rays’ plan is to pay for half of the stadium and have the county, city pay for the other half. And so we’re still figuring out what the total cost would be [for Tampa]. It did balloon almost double the cost for the stadium so that clearly is an issue,” Castor said.
Castor said the money should give everyone “some concern” as they need to figure out where the money is coming from.
The t”I know the governor has said that he would definitely support the Rays building a stadium with the mixed-use [development] around it, but the taxpayer dollars wouldn’t go towards a stadium,” Castor said. “Well, that’s the same thing I have said all along. But we are working, along with Hillsborough County and the Tampa Sports Authority, to figure out how we make the Tampa Bay Rays — staying in Tampa and specifically right there on that site — how we can make that a reality.”
On board with the plan as it stands: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who expressed approval for state participation on the funding side. “Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay,” DeSantis said. “Baseball can succeed in Tampa Bay. The state is going to be supporting this proposal.” He was joined at the press conference by MLB Commission Rob Manfred.
DeSantis indicated that state support would likely come in the form of assistance for the redevelopment of the Hillsborough College campus:
“State money, in terms of baseball, is not something that we’ve done. But I think when you look at (Hillsborough College), the reimagining, some of the buildings need massive amounts of deferred maintenance,” he said, mentioning a tour he took of the area recently. “I’d rather put that money to the reimagined campus than trying to rehab some of the old buildings.”
The goal is an April 2029 opening for the new ballpark.
Renderings courtesy Tampa Bay Rays.
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