Tampa Mayor Jane Castor says the opportunity to bring the Tampa Bay Rays to Tampa is a chance to bring more success to a region already nicknamed “Champa Bay.”
The Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl victory reminded Castor about the night the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium. In a newsletter published the next day, Castor endorsed a new ballpark and mixed-use development proposed by the Rays at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.
She said it represents the next step in Tampa’s growth as a major league city, arguing the project builds on momentum created by recent championship winning runs by the Buccaneers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
“I watched Tampa light up in a way that stuck with me,” Castor said. “Even with pandemic precautions, our streets were full of fans cheering, businesses busy, and a real sense of joy in the air. It was a moment of incredible pride and Tampa showing we belong on the biggest stage. Now, there’s another major league opportunity knocking on our door.”
Castor’s comments come after Hillsborough County and Hillsborough College officials voted in recent weeks to authorize formal negotiations with the Rays and their development partners over the Dale Mabry site. The votes opened a negotiation window, but in the case of the county stopped short of committing either entity to public funding — setting the stage for debate over whether taxpayer-backed resources — including Community Investment Tax revenue — could play a role.
Gov. Ron DeSantis also publicly supported the proposal during a Feb. 3 press conference at the campus, lending momentum to the effort and prompting the Rays to release their first set of concept renderings last week.
Castor acknowledged that city and county officials have difficult discussions about public funding for the project ahead, but said the Rays proposal “is exactly the kind of project that shapes a city’s future.”
While Tampa officials have not yet publicly debated the proposal following those developments, Castor’s remarks signal she is prepared to spend much of her final year in office advocating for a project that could define Tampa’s development priorities well beyond the end of her administration.
“A city with major league sports is a city that thinks big. It’s a city that believes in itself. Tampa has already proven we can host championship moments. Now we have the chance to build for the next generation of them. We are Champa Bay, always,” Castor said.