Governor Ron DeSantis in Tampa // Chris Young, WMNF News, 5/12/2025

Listen:

Governor Ron DeSantis joined Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred and others Tuesday to voice support for building the Tampa Bay Rays’ new stadium at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus. 

The press conference comes after college trustees approved a memorandum of understanding to develop a stadium and surrounding redevelopment. 

DeSantis made his stance clear while speaking on the school’s campus in Tampa. 

“I happened to be raised in Tampa Bay, but I think it’s true: Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay. Baseball could succeed in Tampa Bay,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis was joined by Rays leaders as well as Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred. 

“There is a great opportunity for this new ownership group to come together with local government, the college, and form the kind of partnership that can make the Rays durable and successful here in the Tampa Bay region,” Manfred said.

DeSantis says the state will be conveying the land to the college and they’ll be able to negotiate use. 

The Tampa Bay Times reports that the Rays will pay at least half of the stadium cost, as well as cover construction cost overruns and future repairs, maintenance and ren ovations. 

The team is asking Hillsborough County to consider covering up to 50 percent of the construction cost with other public funding sources. 

Neil deMause is a journalist and author covering stadium deals, and spoke on WMNF’s “Making Connections.”

“You know, the Rays’ owner says he’s going to put up half the money for a Ray’s stadium, which sounds okay, right? Oh great. It’s – we’re going fifty fifty. We’re not going 50/50, however, on other avenues. Right. So if there’s money to be made from the stadium, from selling tickets, from selling hot dogs, from selling naming rights, any of that stuff, you know, I mean, we don’t know what the lease is going to look like, but the standard is that the team gets all of that.” deMause said.

A Rays representative says renderings of the proposed stadium will be released in the coming days.