"The Rays continue their efforts to find a workable plan for a new stadium in the Tampa Bay area. They took a step in that direction on Tuesday, as the board of trustees at Hillsborough College voted to approve a memorandum of understanding with the team (link via Nina Moske, Colleen Wright and Lucy Marques of The Tampa Bay Times). It's a non-binding agreement between the Rays and the college as the team pursues a stadium/mixed-use development plan at its Dale Mabry campus."
"The team's lease at Tropicana Field runs through 2028. They're hopeful of having a new stadium built for the start of the '29 season. That doesn't leave a whole lot of time to work out funding agreements with the city and county before getting construction underway. The team's deal on Tuesday was with the college to zero in on a potential stadium site. They have not worked out any kind of public funding deals."
"The Rays had a 2024 agreement on a stadium that would have been in St. Petersburg, which is located in Pinellas County. The deal collapsed after hurricane damage held up county approval of certain bonds, which led the Rays to argue they needed more money to cover cost overruns associated with the delay. Talks between the team and city/county officials became acrimonious enough that the Rays pivoted to working with Hillsborough County officials and the City of Tampa."
Hillsborough College's board approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Tampa Bay Rays to explore a stadium and mixed-use project at the Dale Mabry site. The Rays' lease at Tropicana Field runs through 2028 and the franchise aims to open a new ballpark for the 2029 season, creating a compressed timeline to secure funding and approvals. A prior 2024 St. Petersburg deal collapsed after hurricane-related delays to bond approvals and cost overruns, prompting the team to shift focus to Tampa. Ownership changed last year and local officials have given mixed signals about public financing; leaders warned the team could consider Orlando if progress stalls.
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