The Tampa Bay Rays’ efforts to build a new ballpark in Hillsborough County face another setback in Tallahassee.
Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Ed Hooper lowered expectations for state funding, as local officials and the team are still far from reaching a stadium agreement.
Hooper told reporters on Tuesday that he thinks the Legislature should pause funding for Hillsborough College, which would help with the Rays ballpark project at its Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa, until the team and local governments agree on funding.
Hooper made these comments after lawmakers shared budget recommendations that are still being discussed during the current Special Session. The recommendations did not mention funding for Hillsborough College, which would be needed for campus renovations tied to the Rays ballpark and entertainment district plan.
“It seems like they have some issues at the local level with their county and city requests that may need to be resolved before the state contemplates involvement … There seems to be some heartburn about the request, and until they resolve that, I don’t think the state needs to be involved,” Hooper said in response to questioning.
Despite Hooper’s warning, sources familiar with the situation told Florida Politics that the funding will probably still come, most likely through the Public Education Capital Outlay report that is part of the budgeting process.
Hillsborough College has asked the Legislature for $50 million, but other media outlets like the Tampa Bay Times, citing team communications, report that the amount could rise to $150 million. The Senate approved the $50 million proposal in mid-February, but the House’s budget did not include money for the project.
Locally, Tampa and Hillsborough County officials are hesitant about the team’s request for more than $1 billion in public funding. The proposal would require both governments to issue bonds backed by future Community Investment Tax revenues. Many officials support the team but worry about the public risk involved. County officials also say they might need to use reserve funds to cover the cost of the deal.
Rays CEO Ken Babby recently spoke to the Tampa City Council to make his case again. He asked Tampa, and by extension Hillsborough County, to approve a Memorandum of Understanding with the team before June 1. This would give the team a chance to start the 2029 MLB season in a new Tampa stadium.