Rays Win Public Backing for $2.3B Tampa Stadium and Mixed-Use District

The Hillsborough County Commission approved the Rays’ $2.3 billion stadium deal by a 5-2 vote, securing roughly $800 million from the county, about $80 million from the city, and $1.4 billion in private funding to build a new ballpark and surrounding mixed-use development near Hillsborough College with a planned 2029 opening. The deal includes a 35-year non-relocation agreement, keeping the Rays in the Tampa Bay area through the 2060s, and follows an ownership change to a Zalupski-led group; the Tropicana Field lease runs through 2028.