State gifts Hillsborough College land for Rays stadium
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Rendering: Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays
Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet voted on Tuesday to transfer 22 acres of state land to Hillsborough College, where the Tampa Bay Rays hope to build a new ballpark.
Why it matters: The governor delivered a major win for the Rays, but plenty more hurdles stand between them and a new home.
Driving the news: Hillsborough College acquired the land from the state at no cost, with DeSantis saying at the meeting that he isn't sure it's "worth very much outside of this proposal."
- As a condition of the transfer, the land must be used for a stadium and mixed-use development within five years, or the state can take it back.
- The state has conveyed nearby land for sports use in the past — including the site of George M. Steinbrenner Field, spring training home of the New York Yankees and Tampa Tarpons.
Catch up quick: The Rays want to build a stadium and mixed-use district on Hillsborough College's 113-acre Dale Mabry campus and signed a non-binding agreement with the college in January.
- The Rays intend to cover at least half of the new stadium's cost, estimated at around $2.3 billion. Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa are presumably on the hook for the rest.
- Hillsborough College's academic buildings would be razed and rebuilt on a southwest parcel facing North Lois Avenue, with a request filed to the state Legislature for $50 million to cover construction costs.
What's next: The transfer gives the Rays some ground to stand on — literally — as they look to broker a deal in time for Opening Day 2029.
- Hillsborough's Board of County Commissioners agreed this month to continue talks on the stadium plan, but a divide has already emerged over what public money can be spent on the new ballpark.
- The Rays are expected to bring formal proposals to the board and the Tampa City Council in the coming weeks.