TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The proposal of a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium at the Hillsborough College location on north Dale Mabry Highway took another step forward Tuesday.

Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved granting a 22-acre parcel to the college for a ballpark.

What You Need To Know

Florida Cabinet approves gifting Hillsborough College 22 acres of land. The move gives the college the land needed for a proposed Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium

Hillsborough College says it is working on plans to allow a quick relocation of the campus, and later a move in to a new permanent home 

Local leaders are still conducting economic impact studies on a new Rays stadium

The Rays have told local leaders it wants to be playing in a new stadium by the start of the 2029 MLB season 
PREVIOUS STORIES on Rays stadium pursuit

The team is envisioning a mixed-used entertainment district that would include a domed stadium that can seat about 31,000 people.

According to a team release, the entire development would stretch about 130 acres across the campus.

DeSantis and MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred publicly signaled support for the project earlier this month during an on campus media event with college officials and Rays ownership.

On Tuesday, the governor stressed what the land gift could mean to the team and community.

 

“There’s a lot of potential,” he said. “For Hillsborough College to potentially do a deal that’s beneficial to them but also the overall economy with the Rays and the community and all the stuff that would come from that, I think would be very exciting.

And I think it would be something good for HCC and ensure that baseball remains in Tampa Bay, which I think is important but also offering some vitality to that part of Tampa.

DeSantis reiterated his approval of the move and also thanked Hillsborough College leadership.

“I’ve been really impressed with everything put forward, I really appreciate the board and president of HC leaning into this. I think they see a lot of avenues to take their campus to the next level and I agree…and also connecting some of their students to all the great things happening around them, I move to approve the items as presented.”

Attorney General James Uthmeier seconded the motion.

The Dale Mabry campus is adjacent to Raymond James Stadium. Most of the campus buildings are more than 50 years old, making maintenance increasingly costly.

With the land gift approval, the Rays will now have five years to start building a stadium, or else the state could take the land back.

The next move

That transition is now the focus for campus leadership.

Campus President Paige Niehaus said HC has been intentional about planning for both temporary and permanent solutions.

“We’ve been very, very intentional in making sure that what works good here on Dale Mabry Campus and our thriving campus, carries over into a temporary space and then eventually a new permanent home,” Niehaus said.

Relocating an entire college campus is no small task, especially under a tight timeline. The Rays hope to open a new stadium by the start of the 2029 season. To meet that deadline, construction would need to begin within months.

“It will probably be a very rapid move into a temporary space,” Niehaus said. “So we are taking all the time that we have now to make sure that we are prepared for when that happens.”

While the governor has cited ongoing maintenance costs as a reason to support the relocation, college leaders stress the importance of collaboration.

“I think for not only the Rays to be successful, Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Campus needs to be successful as well,” Niehaus said. “And I think everybody has that in their best interest.”

Behind the land discussions lies a much larger financial question: How to pay for a new stadium.

Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa are still conducting economic impact studies to determine funding sources.

The projected cost of the stadium itself is just over $2 billion. 

However, some estimates suggest the total cost, including surrounding development, could climb to $8 billion.

State approval of the land transfer would mark the clearest signal yet that Tampa is positioning itself as the Rays’ long-term home. 

“The Tampa Bay Rays are grateful for the approval granted today by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet for the conveyance of state land to Hillsborough College for the purpose of redeveloping the Dale Mabry Campus site for our proposed new ballpark (and) reinvented campus,said Rays CEO Ken Babby. “This is undoubtedly a big moment for Tampa Bay, and the Rays are fully in this moment to bring this vision to life, and serve our region for generations to come.”