The Tampa City Council voted 4-3 Thursday morning to approve the city's $80 million share of a $2.36 billion Rays ballpark, sending the deal to Hillsborough County Commission on Friday.
The team, which returns to Tropicana Field after a long road trip on Friday, is holding up its end of the marketing plan for the stadium. They have the best record in the American League at 79-54 and a division lead that has shrunk from six games to 3½ in two weeks. By first pitch against the Padres, they may finally know where they'll be playing in 2029.
The vote took all day with vociferous and colorful public comment and some contentious comments between council members.
The structure that was voted on was rebuilt by Council Member Bill Carlson, who is running
for mayor, and who had been a no vote on previous agreements. In that deal, Tampa is responsible for $80 million and it was earmarked for building roads and sidewalks around the ballpark. The city expects to earn it back through property taxes on the private development the Rays say they will build alongside the stadium.
The county commissioners' vote is a whole other obstacle for the Rays to get over. They approved a non-binding version 5-2 in May and now two of the yes votes have wobbled.
This is the fourth ballpark the Rays have announced and they have yet to break ground.
In 2007 the team proposed a waterfront park in St. Petersburg and withdrew it after residents revolted. In 2018 there was a roughly $900 million plan to put a ballpark in Ybor City, Tampa's historic Cuban neighborhood. That fell apart that same year when the Rays and Hillsborough County couldn't reach a financing deal.
In 2024, the Rays proposed a $1.3 billion ballpark inside a $6.5 billion redevelopment of the historic district next to the current ballpark, Tropicana Field. St. Petersburg's council approved $290 million in bonds in December 2024. Pinellas County approved $312.5 million. The Rays put up billboards with the slogan "Here to stay." The team abandoned the project on March 13, 2025.
The current plan was tagged with the logo "Forever Home," and comes under new ownership. Stu Sternberg sold controlling interest in the team to a group headed by Patrick Zalupski, a politically-connected Jacksonville businessman.
The history is a reminder that even a clean sweep this week isn't a guarantee that the Rays will be christening their new home in April 2029, but it's an important step.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will the Rays finally get new stadium after Tampa votes to build?
