Hillsborough College to discuss Rays next week amid stadium site search
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Hillsborough College's board of trustees is scheduled to meet next week, reportedly to discuss a new home for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Why it matters: The Rays are looking for a site to build a new stadium, and multiple outlets identified HC's Dale Mabry campus as a top contender. This meeting signals that the college is now under formal consideration.
Driving the news: Chair Gregory Celestan confirmed to Axios that the HC board is meeting Jan. 20 to discuss an agenda item related to the Rays.
- He and other trustees declined to offer more details about the meeting, but the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported that the board will vote on a deal that would make way for the ballpark.
- Rays co-chair Patrick Zalupski has said he is scouting sites of at least 100 acres for a stadium. Hillsborough College spans more than 100 acres, all of which are under the board's control.
The intrigue: Hillsborough College is part of the Florida College System, and the Business Journal reported that the state could contribute funding to relocate the college.
Between the lines: The Rays are staring down a tight window to build a stadium, with their contract at Tropicana Field set to expire in 2028.
- For that timeline to be feasible, the team will need to decide on a location, secure construction funding and allow enough time to build — all before Opening Day 2029.
- St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has floated the idea of extending the team's lease at the Trop, but the team's new owners haven't yet commented on the possibility.
Friction point: Zalupski made it clear that a public-private partnership would be "critical" to their vision for a ballpark.
- That's a hard sell in Hillsborough, which has its hands full with sports stadiums, and where some county commissioners have balked at funding renovations for those facilities.
- Lobbyists for the Rays have started making their rounds at the Board of County Commissioners, according to county records.
The Rays declined Axios' request for comment.
What's next: Hillsborough College's board of trustees will meet at 4pm on Jan. 20 at the Dale Mabry Campus.
Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect that the Rays declined to comment.