The central argument against public funding of professional sports stadiums is simple: Billionaires should pay for their own ballpark with no taxpayer dollars involved.<\/p>\n
But Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan says a proposed $2.3 billion stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays will have \u201czero impact to taxpayers\u201d and won\u2019t require any tax increases.<\/p>\n
The team recently presented a framework that includes $750 million from the county, $251 million from the city and $64 million from other public sources to be determined.<\/p>\n
The financing mostly relies on \u201cexisting, restricted revenue sources\u201d such as levies on lodging and the future taxes raised from the Drew Park Community Redevelopment Area, Hagan said Tuesday on WDAE radio\u2019s \u201cPat and Aaron Show.\u201d<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Rays threaten to ‘evaluate alternatives’ if Hillsborough balks on stadium funding<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThose funds can only be used for specific purposes like tourism-related activities or redevelopment in designated areas,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cThey cannot be used for schools, school lunches, roads, fire services or law enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n Commissioner Joshua Wostal, however, insists Hagan\u2019s framing is misleading, arguing the proposal still puts public money and financial reserves on the line \u2014 even if no formal tax increase is enacted.<\/p>\n \u201cNonsense statement for anyone to make,\u201d Wostal wrote in a post on X. \u201cThey are literally trying to raid property taxes and catastrophic reserves, [it\u2019s] all on the public record.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonsense statement for anyone to make. They are literally trying to raid property taxes and catastrophic reserves, its all on the public record.<\/p>\n \u2014 Joshua Wostal (@JoshuaWostal) April 21, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n While a Rays presentation to the county acknowledged \u201cusing reserves will reduce budget flexibility,\u201d it recommends the use of up to $132 million from accounts set aside for capital maintenance, catastrophes and economic development.<\/p>\n Many reserve accounts come from general revenues such as sales and property taxes. Hagan said the team will be expected to cover such shortfalls. It’s among the concessions from the Rays still being negotiated. <\/p>\n “So in the event of an economic downturn, the Rays would need to, in our terms, backstop or guarantee that the county is made whole,” he said. <\/p>\n ALSO READ: Rays stadium talks create friction on Hillsborough County Commission<\/a><\/p>\n Despite that, critics such as Wostal have argued that relying on such guarantees still places public funds in play, particularly if projections fall short or agreements fail to hold.<\/p>\n The county also wants the Rays to cover a $75 million shortfall<\/a> in public funding outlined during last week\u2019s commission workshop.<\/p>\n \u201cI say somewhat jokingly, on a $2.3 billion project, that\u2019s almost a rounding error,\u201d Hagan told WDAE.<\/p>\n Hagan said capital expenditures must also be worked out. The proposed lease agreement requires the Rays pay for the maintenance, repairs and insurance for the stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are looking at a 35-year use agreement that requires significant maintenance and capital improvements,\u201d Hagan said. \u201cWe need assurance the Rays will cover those long-term costs.\u201d<\/p>\n The stadium is planned for roughly 130 acres in Tampa\u2019s Drew Park area currently used by Hillsborough College\u2019s Dale Mabry campus, with the team pledging to cover half the construction cost and all overruns.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: DeSantis ‘flip-flop’ on pro sports tax subsidies divides Republicans<\/a><\/p>\n The stadium would anchor a larger privately financed mixed-use development projected to generate long-term city and county tax revenues over 30 years that would, in part, help offset the public investment in the project. The project includes a rebuilt college paid for by the state.<\/p>\n