{"id":704356,"date":"2026-05-20T23:09:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T23:09:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/704356\/"},"modified":"2026-05-20T23:09:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T23:09:18","slug":"hillsborough-college-trustees-approve-rays-lease-students-remain-the-priority","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/704356\/","title":{"rendered":"Hillsborough College trustees approve Rays’ lease, students remain the priority"},"content":{"rendered":"

TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Trustees at Hillsborough College approved a long-term ground lease on Wednesday tied to the proposed Tampa Bay Rays\u2019 multi-billion-dollar stadium project.<\/p>\n

The vote came just hours after Hillsborough County commissioners approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Rays in a 5-to-2 vote.<\/p>\n

The proposed stadium project would bring a new Rays ballpark and mixed-use development to the Dale Mabry campus of Hillsborough College.<\/p>\n

Under the lease approved Wednesday, the Rays would gain long-term control of portions of the property needed for the project. An attorney for the college told trustees the lease includes an initial 99-year term, along with options for additional extensions.<\/p>\n

Trustees described the proposal as a major opportunity for both the college and the surrounding community.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of this board is to protect the interests of the college, and this deal is good for the college,\u201d trustee Clay Hollis said after the vote.<\/p>\n

Still, the meeting included public comment both for and against the project.<\/p>\n

Some speakers urged trustees to support the proposal, calling it a transformational opportunity for Tampa and the college. Others questioned whether the school would receive sufficient funding to properly redevelop the campus and raised concerns about the pace of the process.<\/p>\n

Critics also worried about the future of existing campus amenities, including pickleball courts and the tennis center.<\/p>\n

College President Ken Atwater defended the proposal, repeatedly emphasizing that students would remain the school\u2019s top priority throughout the process.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt will always be on the students,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cWe will ensure that we maintain our quality learning environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atwater also argued the partnership with the Rays could create additional opportunities for students through internships, apprenticeships, and workforce development programs tied to the broader redevelopment project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not changing anything,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cWe\u2019re only doing an enhancement of what we\u2019re doing by having a partner like the Rays.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Rays celebrated the vote in a statement released shortly afterward.<\/p>\n

\u201c[Wednesday\u2019s] unanimous vote by the Hillsborough College Board of Trustees to approve the ground lease with the Tampa Bay Rays unlocks the door for the college\u2019s 46,000 students to access meaningful career pathways and real-world workforce opportunities with world-class organizations and businesses while transforming the Dale Mabry campus with brand new, modern facilities,\u201d Rays CEO Ken Babby wrote in a statement.<\/p>\n

Despite Wednesday\u2019s approvals, the broader stadium proposal still faces several major hurdles.<\/p>\n

The proposed project carries a roughly $2.3 billion price tag, including nearly $1 billion in public investment from Hillsborough County, the City of Tampa, and the Community Redevelopment Agency.<\/p>\n

The college is also still seeking approximately $150 million in potential state funding to help redevelop the campus.<\/p>\n

The Tampa City Council and the city\u2019s CRA board are both expected to consider the agreement on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Share Your Story with Chad

Chad Mills calls Polk County home and has witnessed the area\u2019s growth firsthand. He is focused on sharing stories from his neighbors in Lakeland. You can use the form below to connect with Chad.
.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Hillsborough teacher removed after video at Lithia Middle School sparks outrage<\/p>\n

A video recorded inside a Hillsborough County classroom is drawing backlash after many parents and community members said it showed a racist act in front of students.<\/p>\n

Hillsborough teacher removed after video at Lithia middle school sparks outrage<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TAMPA, Fla. \u2014 Trustees at Hillsborough College approved a long-term ground lease on Wednesday tied to the proposed…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":704357,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2377],"tags":[5,88549,8588,35347,35960,19859,4,297,20044,12012,2550,52714,88550,68,2551,2549],"class_list":["post-704356","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-rays","tag-baseball","tag-campus-redevelopment","tag-city-council","tag-county-commission","tag-hillsborough-college","tag-hillsborough-county","tag-mlb","tag-rays","tag-stadium-deal","tag-state-funding","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-28","tag-tampa-bay-28-news","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabayrays"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116609428351367123","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704356","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=704356"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/704356\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/704357"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=704356"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=704356"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=704356"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}