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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred backed a proposed new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday, a move that could influence whether the team remains in the region long term.
DeSantis joined Manfred and Rays officials at a news conference in Tampa as the Rays look for a “forever home.” The proposal comes as the franchise continues to play under its current lease arrangement: the Rays are scheduled to return to Tropicana Field for the 2026 season, with their lease extending through at least the 2028 season.
The current stadium situation has been strained by events since the 2024 season. Tropicana Field sustained significant hurricane damage in 2024, and the stadium roof was shredded during Hurricane Milton in October 2024, with repairs taking more than a year. In addition, a $1.3 billion redevelopment deal for Tropicana Field fell through last year, and the team is now under new ownership.
Under the proposal unveiled for consideration, the new Rays ballpark would be built in Tampa, near Raymond James Stadium, home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and in the “shadows” of the New York Yankees’ spring training facility. The plan also contemplates surrounding development, described as including a hotel, residential and retail areas, and multiple restaurants and bars.
Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby said the team expects initial renderings of the development and ballpark in the coming days. Manfred said the success of most sports franchises depends on a strong partnership between the team, the community, and local government, and he characterized Tuesday’s announcement as a step toward keeping the Rays in the community “for decades to come.”
The team’s stadium plan is tied to a separate development agreement already in motion. Last month, the Rays signed a nonbinding memorandum of agreement with Tampa’s Hillsborough College to develop a multiuse facility on a 113-acre site along Dale Mabry Boulevard. The document also describes redeveloping the Hillsborough College campus into a mixed-use district with retail, restaurants, entertainment, multifamily residential areas, hotels, and new buildings for classroom and administrative uses.
According to an agenda item posted for Wednesday’s Hillsborough County Commission meeting, the Rays have expressed intent to “bear a minimum of 50% of the cost of the construction of a ballpark.” The document says the remainder of the cost would be left to public funding of some kind, and it does not specify whether the county or city would be willing to rely on local financing such as a local bed tax.
Any funding approach would need to be presented to the Hillsborough County Commission, the city of Tampa, and the Tampa Sports Authority for consideration, DeSantis said the state would not contribute direct funding to the stadium. He said the state could assist with road improvements and relocating a nearby juvenile justice facility.
The Rays have said they are prepared to continue negotiating as the stadium timeline moves forward. DeSantis and Manfred both framed the proposal as part of a process rather than an immediate, all-or-nothing step, with Manfred saying he did not view the new plan as a last-ditch effort to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay.
The near-term test of the proposal will be whether county commissioners move the plan forward as part of Wednesday’s discussion, where the team’s cost-sharing position and the outlines of public financing could become central to any next steps.