Tampa Council Approves Rays Deal With $80 Million Taxpayer Commitment

The Tampa City Council voted 4-3 on Thursday to approve a community benefits agreement with the owners of the Tampa Bay Rays, locking in an $80 million commitment from taxpayers to fund the team’s new stadium.

In exchange for the public funds, the Rays are required to deliver $21 million in benefits to the city. The agreement mandates that $4.2 million of this value be provided within the next five years. For that initial period, the team must allocate 70 percent of the amount, approximately $3 million, as direct cash spending. This stipulation prevents the franchise from counting the face value of goods or services, such as unsold tickets, toward their contribution total. Council Member Guido Maniscalco noted that without this rule, the team could have claimed credit for unsold tickets. Starting in 2031, the required cash portion of the contribution drops to 50 percent.

The agreement specifies several immediate uses for the funds, including $1 million for improvements to Al Lopez Park, a large urban green space located near the proposed stadium site. Additional allocations include $300,000 for the Yellow Jackets Little League team in West Tampa and $200,000 for police services in New Tampa. A separate category for Housing Stability and Anti-Displacement receives $1.25 million to support rental assistance, home repairs, and gap funding for new housing units.

Despite the specific line items, the exact value and timing of each contribution within the five-year window remain subject to change without further council approval. The document was initially placed on the council agenda with a blank page where the benefits were to be listed. A corrected version was uploaded on Monday, later than the timeframe typically allowed by council rules.

The rushed timeline drew objections from members of the council. Council Member Lynn Hurtak stated she did not have sufficient time to review the proposal, especially after language was modified hours before the meeting. The council was given only a 15-minute recess to examine the new version. Hurtak, who is running for mayor, calculated that inflation would reduce the real value of the $4.2 million in future benefits to approximately $2.39 million by 2041.

Council Member Bill Carlson, also a mayoral candidate, argued that the city should have administered the funds directly rather than relying on the team. “It’s not like the Rays are giving us something,” Carlson said. “We’re taking the people’s money, putting it in, and then we’re getting part of it back.” Despite his reservations, Carlson voted in favor of the measure.

During public comment, Bishop Michelle B. Patty, a resident of East Tampa, urged the council to avoid pitting different neighborhoods against one another. She emphasized that all communities contribute to the city’s tax base. “Whether you vote this thing up or down, do not pit one community against another,” Patty said.

Council Member Charlie Miranda, who represents District 6 where the stadium will be built, criticized the financial arrangement. He described the Rays as financially strained and questioned why the city was receiving back money it had already provided. “Taxpayers should say what they do with the money, not the Rays,” Miranda said. He voted against the agreement alongside Hurtak and Maniscalco.

The measure passed with votes from Luis Viera, Naya Young, Alan Clendenin, and Carlson. Viera’s vote was secured during a special session called before he leaves office next week. The agreement includes an exemption from the city’s standard public input period, a provision that Jaime Jones of the West Tampa Heights Neighborhood Association criticized. “Give more time to all of your constituents to provide input,” Jones said.

According to reports from the Tampa Monitor, borrowing the full $80 million would cost the city roughly $140 million in total when including 30 years of interest at a rate of 4.1 percent.