Rays Unveil Tampa Ballpark Vision as Hillsborough Opens Funding Talks

Overview

• Team released first-look renderings and a public site for a 31,000-seat enclosed ballpark at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus within a 130-acre mixed-use district.
• Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously to begin formal funding talks, following the college board’s earlier approval of a nonbinding negotiating window.
• County documents cite a $2.3 billion stadium estimate, with the Rays pledging at least 50% and all overruns while seeking the remainder from local and potentially state and city sources.
• AECOM will deliver an independent review of the team’s projections by April 1 and Skanska will assess construction costs later, as debates continue over tools such as the Community Investment Tax.
• The club opened a $19.98 early-access deposit for seating and is targeting a 2029 opening, with Gov. Ron DeSantis backing infrastructure support and MLB’s Rob Manfred voicing support for keeping the team in Tampa Bay.