Tampa Bay Rays executives are increasing pressure on officials in Tampa and Hillsborough counties to move forward with plans for a new stadium, with team leaders suggesting that the team’s long-term future in the region could be uncertain if a deal is not reached soon.
The Rays are seeking commitments for a proposed $2.3 billion ballpark and mixed-use development near Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry Campus in Tampa. The team has set a target of June 1 for a final agreement, but Hillsborough County officials have indicated they likely won’t meet that deadline. Rays CEO Ken Babby said afterward that the team is focused on reaching a non-binding memorandum of understanding by the end of May.
The proposed stadium would be built in Tampa’s Drew Park neighborhood, across Dale Mabry Highway from Raymond James Stadium. According to WUSF, the Rays are seeking approximately $1 billion in public support, including $250 million upfront from the city of Tampa and $750 million from Hillsborough County. The team announced it would pay more than half of the project cost and cover any cost overruns.
Rays managing partner and co-chairman Patrick Zalopski told the Tampa Bay Times that the schedule has gotten more difficult by the day since June 1. The team has said it hopes to open the new stadium by March 2029, shortly after the lease at St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field expires in 2028.
The comments came as local officials continue to scrutinize the financial details of the proposal. During a nearly four-hour Tampa City Council workshop, council members heard from Rays executives, Hillsboro University officials and members of the public. No vote was taken, leaving questions about how the city would pay for its portion of the agreement.
One possible funding source is the Community Investment Tax, a half-cent sales tax recently approved by voters. Some critics argued that using these funds to build a stadium violated the intent laid out to voters and that another referendum was needed. However, if the vote were to take place in November 2026, it would far exceed the schedule requested by the Rays.
Supporters at the stadium warned that Tampa Bay could be at risk of losing Major League Baseball if a deal is not reached. During public comment, some fans asked officials not to become local leaders “sending this team to Orlando,” according to Axios. WUSF also reported that one South Tampa resident likened the situation to Montreal and Oakland, two cities that have lost Major League Baseball franchises.
The team has not announced any relocation plans, but concerns about the Rays’ ability to remain in the Tampa Bay area long-term have been resurfaced as stadium negotiations have not been finalized. The franchise previously backed out of a redevelopment deal with another stadium in St. Petersburg, leaving the team’s future in limbo as Tropicana Field’s lease nears its end.
Orlando Group continues to challenge Major League Baseball
As Orlando boosters continue their campaign to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida, new uncertainty has emerged over the future of the Rays’ stadium.
Orlando City Baseball Dreamers LLC, also known as the Orlando Dreamers, announced that World Series MVP and Orlando area native David Eckstein has officially joined the organization as an MLB Community Advisor. Eckstein, who grew up in Sanford and played college baseball at the University of Florida, is expected to assist with community collaboration, fan engagement and baseball-related strategies as the group expands its efforts in 2026.
“I’m really excited to be a part of this effort to bring Major League Baseball to my hometown,” Eckstein said in the announcement.
Key demographic facts and figures in favor of Orlando
The Tampa metropolitan area attracts approximately 14 million tourists each year. That’s one-fifth of the Orlando metropolitan area (74 million people). Orlando attracts the most tourists of any city in the United States. The highest inflow is from April to May, followed by June to August. That means 75% of annual tourists come during the MLB season, totaling 55 million visitors.
Even if only 2% of visitors to Orlando attended an MLB game between April and September, more than 1 million fans would fill the seats at the Rays’ 81 home games. Spreading this out to 81 home games would add 12,000 fans to increase local attendance. For context, the number of tourists would roughly equal the normal attendance at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, where the Rays averaged about 16,515 fans per game during the 2024 MLB season. (In 2025, they were forced to play at Steinbrenner Field due to damage to Tropicana Field.) The difference isn’t astronomical, but it’s a factor worth considering, especially considering the Rays typically have the lowest attendance in the league.
Additionally, Orlando averages twice as many tourists per year as Vegas, and Orlando’s demographics are far more family-oriented and MLB-friendly than Vegas, indicating that MLB is still willing to factor in increased tourism.
The majority of Orlando tourists are upper middle to upper class families with two children. The 2% example is a conservative estimate, especially since the potential stadium site is right next door to SeaWorld and one mile from Universal’s new theme park, Epic Universe, which opens this summer. Disney is also expanding its local footprint by investing $17 billion in new parks and attractions, so current tourist numbers are expected to increase.
Public funds:
Even though private investors account for less than 50% of the funding for the Orlando-based stadium, Orange County commissioners and the Orlando City Council have voted to use public funds for some stadium construction over the past 25 years, during which time the Orlando mayor has been re-elected six times, the county chairman has been re-elected for a second term to serve a maximum of two terms, and funding has been approved for a stadium that does not even host a professional team (Camping World Stadium, also known as Camping World Stadium). citrus bowl)
The Dreamers’ leadership group already includes Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, who serves as the group’s MLB ambassador, and former Boston Red Sox outfielder Johnny Damon, who serves as MLB strategic advisor. Larkin said Eckstein’s ties to Central Florida and MLB will help the group as it looks to build support for the franchise in Orange County. Damon said the involvement of Eckstein, Larkin and himself in this effort strengthened Orlando’s baseball credentials.
The Orlando group cites Central Florida’s population growth, job growth, tourism economy and media market size as reasons why Central Florida should be considered for attracting a Major League Baseball team. According to Dreamers, Orlando is currently the 15th largest media market in the country and is on track to overtake Detroit as the largest media market without an MLB franchise.
The Dreamers also pushed for a domed stadium on a 35.5-acre parcel near SeaWorld and the Orange County Convention Center. The group previously cited a 2023 independent study that predicted Orlando’s Major League Baseball team could create about 25,000 permanent jobs and generate more than $40 billion in economic impact for Orange County over 30 years. The study also projects an additional $26 million annually in tourism development tax revenue.
Orlando’s tourism industry could also be part of the discussion. Dreamers said the region has posted record tourism development tax revenues for 12 consecutive months, and annual collections are on pace to exceed $400 million. The group also pointed to increased tourism related to the opening of Epic Universe, which is located near the proposed stadium site.
Although the Dreamers have not officially been involved in the Rays’ stadium negotiations, the timing could give Orlando a potential role in broader discussions. Even if Tampa and Hillsborough County are unable to reach a stadium agreement, Orlando supporters will likely continue to insist that Central Florida can support Major League Baseball.
Tampa’s proposal also includes redeveloping land currently occupied by Hillsborough College and one of the county’s busiest tax collector’s offices. Axios reported that the Collector’s Office serves about 900 customers a day, and setting up a replacement facility could cost taxpayers between $15 million and $20 million.
For now, it appears the Rays are seeking non-binding commitments from Tampa and Hillsborough counties through at least the end of May. Whether that’s enough to keep stadium plans on track and allay concerns about the team’s future in Florida remains unclear.
