Hillsborough County Approves $2.36 Billion Deal for Rays’ New Ballpark, Completing Local Approvals

Hillsborough County commissioners voted 5-2 on Friday to approve the definitive deal for the Tampa Bay Rays’ proposed new ballpark, completing the last major local government approval for the project one day after Tampa City Council signed off on the same package.

The county vote on Aug. 28 followed the City Council’s 4-3 approval Thursday and clears the two required local approvals for the Rays’ “Forever Home” plan. The project would put a new ballpark and mixed-use district on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus, which is owned by the college.

The final documents put the total cost at about $2.36 billion. Public contributions are capped at about $876 million combined, with roughly $796 million from Hillsborough County and $80 million from the city of Tampa. The Rays are responsible for the remaining cost, as well as all cost overruns. The documents also place construction risk, including defects, on the team and its stadium company.

County commissioners voting yes were Ken Hagan, Harry Cohen, Gwen Myers, Christine Miller and Chris Boles. Donna Cameron Cepeda and Joshua Wostal voted no.

The county’s roughly $796 million share is expected to come from a mix of the county’s Community Investment Tax, Tourist Development Tax financing, other legally available county funds and $30 million in federal disaster-recovery money tied to eligible stormwater work. Tampa’s $80 million contribution is limited to public horizontal improvements such as roads and utilities.

The final deal also changes one piece of the financing structure that had drawn attention earlier in the process. An earlier discussed $100 million Community Redevelopment Area contribution was replaced by a privately financed Community Development District structure.

Under the approved terms, the ballpark would be a county-owned fixed-roof stadium with a minimum seating capacity of 28,000. The use agreement has an initial 35-year term and includes a non-relocation commitment. Local reporting on the county documents says the Rays would pay $4 million a year in rent.

The broader development plan goes beyond the stadium itself. The mixed-use district is organized around a “work, live, learn, play” concept and includes a modernized Hillsborough College campus, along with residential, retail, office, hospitality and public-space elements.

The target in the released documents is to have the ballpark ready for Opening Day 2029. That timing matters because the Rays’ current use agreement at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg runs through the 2028 season.

Friday’s vote does not yet authorize construction to begin. The next formal steps are a Community Benefits Agreement process and bond and funding validation. The public money is structured to flow through a construction trust and is not supposed to be released until the team shows that its private financing is in place.

The Rays have played in the Tampa Bay region since 1998 and have spent years pursuing a long-term replacement for Tropicana Field, making this week’s city and county votes a major step in the franchise’s latest stadium push. The team was sold in September 2025 to a new ownership group led by Patrick Zalupski, who made securing a permanent ballpark a priority.

“We are incredibly grateful to everyone who invested their time, energy, ideas and trust in getting us to this moment... Today is an incredible day for Tampa Bay. Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible. Forever starts now,” Zalupski said in a statement after the county vote.