Rays loom over Hillsborough commission meeting
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Rendering: Courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays
The Hillsborough Board of County Commissioners won't vote on a new Rays stadium at Wednesday's meeting — but two items on the agenda could help clear the way.
Why it matters: Questions swirling about public transparency and how to finance the new ballpark could soon be answered.
Driving the news: Commissioner Joshua Wostal filed a motion to release all documents related to the proposed ballpark, while Commissioner Gwen Myers motioned to probe whether the county's half-cent tax can fund it.
- Wostal wrote that his motion is intended to ensure a "minuscule amount of public transparency in what could be the single largest taxpayer burden in Hillsborough County's history."
- Myers' motion, meanwhile, would provide some needed clarification on whether the voter-approved Community Investment Tax is a viable funding source for the multibillion-dollar stadium.
Zoom in: The Tampa Sports Authority commissioned two economic impact studies on the ballpark and mixed-use district, but both have struggled due to a lack of information from the team or changing designs.
- One of those studies should be released by the end of the week, according to Eric Hart, CEO of the Sports Authority.
- Wostal's motion, however, would compel the immediate release of the existing drafts of those studies, along with all other information the Sports Authority and county staff have, by 5pm Wednesday.
The intrigue: Commissioner Ken Hagan made clear in February that the stadium plan isn't possible without revenue from the county's half-cent sales tax.
- But not everyone's convinced that it's possible, given that most commissioners have said on the record that it shouldn't be done.
- Myers' motion requests that the County Attorney's Office provide guidance on whether there is any prohibition on the use of the half-cent sales tax for the funding of a new sports facility to be owned by the county.
What's next: The commission meets at 9am Wednesday.
- You can watch the meeting live here.
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that Commissioner Gwen Myers (not Christine Miller) filed the motion to probe whether the county's half-cent tax can fund the proposed ballpark.