Half‑Century Pursuit Is Now at a Breaking Point

Tampa has chased Major League Baseball since the 1970s. The region courted franchises, built proposals, and fought to prove it could support a big‑league team. When MLB finally arrived, the franchise landed in St. Petersburg—inside a dome disconnected from the region’s population center.

The Rays have thrived on the field, but the location has never worked. Every transportation study, business‑journal analysis, and Tampa Bay Times editorial has pointed to the same conclusion: St. Petersburg is too far from too many fans.

Now, with new ownership and a transformative Hillsborough Community College stadium‑village proposal on the table, Tampa faces a stark reality: if it doesn’t commit, Orlando will.

Orlando Has Waited Decades for This Moment

Orlando’s baseball ambitions stretch back to the 1990s, when the late Pat Williams pushed aggressively for an MLB franchise. His bid competed directly with the Tampa Bay effort that ultimately landed the Devil Rays in St. Petersburg.

Today, the Orlando Dreamers group—backed by tourism‑driven revenue models, Orange County hospitality tax support, and a city hungry for a major‑league identity—has renewed the push.

The Orlando Sentinel reports the Dreamers have:

A stadium site tied to the tourism corridor

A branding and marketing plan already built

A political environment open to sports investment

A belief that MLB would thrive alongside Disney and Universal

If Tampa and St. Petersburg fail to deliver, Orlando is positioned to move instantly.

Tampa’s HCC Stadium Village Is the Only Path Forward

The proposed $2.3 billion ballpark and $5–6 billion surrounding village at HCC is Tampa’s best—and last—chance to secure the Rays permanently. The district would include:

A major league stadium

A minor league/academy stadium

A college campus

A walkable entertainment village

Proximity to Raymond James Stadium

This is the type of sports‑anchored development that cities like Atlanta, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles have used to transform entire neighborhoods.

The Stakes Could Not Be Higher

If Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa cannot commit, and if St. Petersburg and Pinellas County cannot finalize their own plan, MLB will not wait. The Rays will remain in Florida—but in Orlando, not Tampa Bay.

This is Tampa’s final chance. Build the stadium, or watch Central Florida take the franchise the region has chased for half a century.