Hillsborough County Approves $796M for Rays New Stadium

The Tampa Bay Rays secured the final major public approval needed for their new stadium on Friday, August 28, 2026, when the Hillsborough County Commission voted 5-2 to contribute $796 million toward the $2.3 billion project. This decision, coming one day after the Tampa City Council approved its $80 million share, clears the financial path for the construction of a 31,000-seat ballpark and mixed-use entertainment district on the Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus.

The combined public investment of $876 million is part of a larger funding package in which the Rays organization has committed at least $1.3 billion, plus any cost overruns. An additional $30 million will come from federal disaster recovery resources. The new stadium, which will be owned by Hillsborough County, is expected to open in 2029 and will be located near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rays CEO Ken Babby stated that the partnership secures Major League Baseball's long-term presence in the Tampa Bay area. "We now look forward to celebrating before breaking ground with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa on a future that has long been doubted, but will indeed happen,"...