Hillsborough approves nonbinding Rays stadium agreement

Tampa Bay Times ^ | May 20, 2026 | Nicolas Villamil

[4Runner]

Hillsborough County Commissioners on Wednesday approved a nonbinding memorandum of understanding between the county and the baseball team for the Rays’ proposed $2.3 billion Tampa stadium.

“Today is a monumental day,” said Commissioner Ken Hagan, who has supported bringing the team to Tampa for nearly two decades. “This is the closest we’ve ever come to finalizing a deal with the Rays.”

Commissioners Joshua Wostal and Donna Cameron Cepeda, who voted against the memorandum, disagreed

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TOPICS: Crime/Corruption; Culture/Society; Government; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: democrats; taxes; taxincreases; taxpayers

[4Runner]

Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby, left, smiles as the Hillsborough County Commissioners vote 5 -2 Wednesday in favor of the nonbinding memorandum.

"It's Deja Vu all over again." That statement was attributed to Yogi Berra of the N.Y. Yankees. Ironically, it applies to this most blatant steamrolling of the County Commission by the Tampa Bay Rays baseball franchise.

In may of 2024, 6 months before the 2024 November elections, the teacher's unions descended upon Tampa and proceeded to run roughshod over the School Board and the County Commission to have placed on the November 2024 ballot a public initiative to finance a three-year pay hike for Hillsborough County public school teachers, totalling $6,000 per year for the years 2026-2028.

With 15,000 teachers, you do the math on the effect that has on 750,000 taxpaying homeowners in the county. I just did it for you and that comes to roughly $360 per year on their tax bill--just for the teachers' pay hike alone.

The burden for this allocation fell squarely upon the shoulders of the property tax paying homeowners of the county. The measure was approved by the voters (surprise surprise) most of whom do not own homes, residents who love voting to spend somebody else's money just to enrich themselves.

Nobody came to the defense of the taxpaying homeowners who got saddled with this obscene inflationary obligation, not even Gov. DeSantis, who made one wisecrack about Hillsborough raising property taxes on homeowners who already couldn't afford the rampant inflation of the cost of utilities as well as grocery and food prices. No one.

Fast forward to May, 2026 and you've got Yogi's "Deja Vu all over again". May is an important month. It's more than enough time to once again stick the taxpayers with the bill for somebody else's play toy with the creation of yet another "Ballot Initiative", in time for November's election.

You just know how that vote is going to go.

A homeowner's tax bill in Hillsborough already lists three line items for "education and schools" for state and local assessments.

Next year it's going to show a new line item. My guess is, it will be called "Stadium Infrastructure and Development Authority".

If you want to know what the grifters who come to Hillsborough County every election year are really doing, and whose pockets they are going to pick next, just watch the timing of the events they create.

It will tell you all you need to know.

[dfwgator]

So it can be just as empty as the Marlins stadium.

When will they get it through their heads that Florida doesn’t do baseball?

[ComputerGuy]

And the taxpayers get screwed again.

[TexasGator]

Non-paywall article

https://www.mlb.com/news/hillsborough-county-approves-non-binding-stadium-deal-with-rays

[ProgressingAmerica]

Not wealthy taxpayers are going to build a new stadium for wealthy sports teams owners? Most of whom wealthy sports teams owners are very left wing Democrat party supporters?

Life was better back in the day when sports owners paid for and built their own stadiums.

[Dr. Sivana]

When will they get it through their heads that Florida doesn’t do baseball?

They do Grapefruit League just fine. That should have been good enough.

[4Runner]

Thanks it’s appreciated.

[4Runner]

Judging by the obvious lack of interest shown for this thread, there must be very few FReepers located in Hillsborough County, a county with a population of almost three million people. I find that prospect really concerning.

[adorno]

A baseball team (any sports team), brings paying fans to the stadium and who also make snacks and drinks purchases. The team is a revenue generating business, and hopefully the team doesn’t suck to make me eat my words. Around the facility, other businesses open up, and create jobs and tax-paying workers. In the long-run, it’s a plus for any community. And a sports team also does attract businesses from other states/communities, since the bosses (owners/managers) do want a community with desirable features.

[adorno]

So it can be just as empty as the Marlins stadium.

The stadium never belonged in St Pete and it was built in the poorest area of the city. Most of the paying customers reside in Tampa. St Pete is a burden to get there from Tampa and other locations.

When will they get it through their heads that Florida doesn’t do baseball?

Tampa is not St Pete and the location is centrally located, and right across from the Buccaneers stadium. So, traffic from near and far will have an easier time getting to the Rays' stadium. The stadium will be right next to Hillsboro Community college, so, employees will be easy to find in that college.

I probably went to 4 games total since the Rays started playing in St Pete; not really a favorable drive to and from the stadium. Tampa's central location for the Rays will automatically have a much bigger potential set of paying customers. I see the stadium getting a lot more paying customers in Tampa. Plus, no stadium is strictly meant for what the main resident provides; it can be used for concerts and other uses.

I think the Rays and fans will be happy there.

[Resolute Conservative]

As long as tax dollars don’t build it. Government has no business funding any business, everything they touch is damaged.

[adorno]

As long as tax dollars don’t build it. Government has no business funding any business, everything they touch is damaged.

Tax dollars are used to build a lot of things that support businesses and residents and economic growth. A sports team can be thought of as 'infrastructure' that supports the city and brings in revenue. Roads and bridges are not enough to make a city attractive to potential businesses wanting to relocate.

[The Duke]

"Judging by the obvious lack of interest shown for this thread, there must be very few FReepers located in Hillsborough County, a county with a population of almost three million people. I find that prospect really concerning."

I was a resident there for 35 years, until it went blue and lawless (but the, I repeat myself). Now I live amongst the grain silos of rural NW Tenn. A nice improvement.

Before Tampa lost it's mind, though, it was a right nice place to live. If I was young enough to dodge bullets, and skinny enough to make a small target, I might still live there.

[4Runner]

As a homeowner in Hillsborough County, I’m getting “infrastructured” to death with taxes. See my comment #1 which you probably just passed over. Do you consider public school teachers “infrastructure” as well? I’ve had to support outrageous and unjustified pay hikes for them which have been funded by my mandatory tax dollars. If I don’t pay I lose my home. Maybe you consider yourself “infrastructure” too, and would like some of my taxess to go to you directly?

[PAR35]

More welfare for billionaires

[libertylover]

My cousin lives in Tampa and says they should never have built that stadium in St. Pete. He had season tickets the first year but it’s too hard to get to.

I think the plan for the new stadium is near where the NFL Buccaneers play, a much better location for most fans.

[T.B. Yoits]

The team is a revenue generating business... Around the facility, other businesses open up, and create jobs and tax-paying workers. In the long-run, it’s a plus for any community.

And yet, when other businesses besides sportsball move into a community, property taxes go down - more entities paying in but requiring less taxpayer paid services such as public education.