Likely Rays sale stirs stadium shuffle in Tampa Bay
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The Tampa Bay Rays have not yet been sold, nor have they announced relocation — but the potential alone has kicked off a stadium shuffle, and local officials are bracing for a fight.
Why it matters: If the team moves across the Bay, as speculated, Hillsborough County will face competing stadium demands, fragile political alliances, and a significant financial burden at a time when it is cutting back on spending.
Catch up quick: The Athletic reported this month that Stuart Sternberg has agreed to sell the Rays to Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion.
- Zalupski appears interested in moving the team to Tampa or elsewhere in Hillsborough, per The Athletic and the Tampa Bay Times.
The latest: Local officials are eyeing Ybor Harbor, a forthcoming mixed-use development by Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw, as the ideal site for a new ballpark. A spokesperson for Shaw declined to comment.
- Republican Commissioner Ken Hagan — a Tampa Sports Authority board member — is spearheading discussions with members of Zalupski's group and Shaw, the Times reported. (Hagan did not return Axios' request for comment.)
- Fellow Republican Commissioner Christine Miller voiced confidence in Hagan but emphasized to Axios that any stadium deal must be "fiscally responsible" and involve an "open process."
- Democratic Commissioner Harry Cohen welcomed the idea, calling it a "positive development" and saying he looks forward to hearing from the new owners.
Friction point: Republican Commissioner Joshua Wostal, who once invited the state DOGE to audit Hillsborough County's spending, is "100% opposed."
- "I imagine the public will be standing with me, outraged if we subsidize the wealthy ahead of their immediate needs," Wostal told Axios.
Between the lines: Republicans on the Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners have only recently begun operating as a cohesive bloc, a shift that commissioners attributed to DOGE in statements to Axios.
- Their shared goal of reining in spending has allowed them to pass once-fringe measures that had failed for years, including eliminating the county's affordable housing trust fund.
- But the potential sale of the Rays, along with Zalupski's reported interest in relocating the team to Hillsborough, threatens to divide that coalition.
Zoom out: Even without the Rays, Hillsborough has its hands full.
- Raymond James Stadium needs repairs. The Tampa Bay Sun, fresh off a championship season, is looking for a permanent home, with Ybor Harbor also that team's top choice.
- An indoor sports arena on land surrounding the Museum of Science and Industry is already in the works, partially funded by $2 million in BP Oil Spill settlement money.
- The University of South Florida is also building an on-campus football stadium, which will increase demand on county and city services, though public funds will not be directly used for construction.
Another piece of the puzzle is the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the Rays-owned soccer team that plays at St. Pete's Al Lang Stadium. City leaders want to upgrade the stadium to make it more usable year-round.
- Citing "a source close to the deal," the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that the soccer team will be sold with the baseball team.
- Tampa City Council Member Alan Clendenin told Axios that should that happen, he anticipates the Rowdies will also move across the Bay. A spokesperson for the Rowdies declined to comment.
What they're saying: "Any politician that says they're not willing to do anything for the Rays doesn't deserve to be in office," said Clendenin, who is also a Tampa Sports Authority board member.
- He framed the issue around public value: "Just like every other thing we do in government, you have to look at what it does for the community."
- He also said the county's half-cent sales tax earmarks hundreds of millions of dollars for repairs at Raymond James Stadium.
The bottom line: "We also have capacity for a new stadium for baseball that will be a good deal for the taxpayer and a good deal for the Rays," Clendenin said.