Gov. Ron DeSantis announced support for the Tampa Bay Rays staying in the region by backing a proposal from team ownership to build a new stadium at Hillsborough Community College (HCC) Dale Mabry Campus during a press conference this week.
"Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay. Baseball can succeed in Tampa Bay," DeSantis said.
The proposed new stadium is expected to cost $2.3 billion, with an opening planned for the start of the 2029 season. The Dale Mabry Campus at HCC spans over 100 acres.
The Rays played at George M. Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season after their regular home, Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, was damaged by Hurricane Milton in October 2024.
The Rays have played at "The Trop" since 1998. Originally the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the team was founded in 1995.
Gov. DeSantis, who played collegiate baseball at Yale University, suggested that the new site could be used in a multitude of ways to draw more interest. While playing the 2024 season at The Trop, the Rays averaged 16,515 fans, which was 28th-worst out of 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams.
The Rays averaged 9,712 at Steinbrenner Field, a traditional minor league stadium. Even so, that was still the 29th-worst in the league, only ahead of the Oakland Athletics, who also played their 2025 season in a minor league ballpark.
"I'm a baseball purist; I think people should just want to come watch [baseball]. But the reality is, you need other things to draw people," DeSantis continued. "You see what they did in Atlanta -- to have the shops and the restaurants and the hotels to really make it a place where people want to be, even if they're not die-hard baseball fans."
HCC is located near Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Many National Football League (NFL) stadiums are located near MLB ballparks, including Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles, which is near Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Others include M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens, and Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the Baltimore Orioles.
"This area could use some rejuvenation. This would be a big project for the vitality of this area, right here in Tampa Bay," DeSantis said.
The governor also suggested the stadium could be used for other sporting events, including high school baseball state championships and Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship games.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred joined Gov. DeSantis for the announcement.
"One thing that has been consistent during my time as commissioner was my view that Major League Baseball belongs in Tampa Bay. That support has been, I hope, clear and unwavering," Manfred said.
Manfred also praised the Rays' new ownership, led by Patrick Zalupski. A Jacksonville-based homebuilder, Zalupski took over the franchise in September 2025 from longtime owner Stuart Sternberg.
"I know this group wants to make baseball a success here; they want to get a new facility built, and they want to provide a winner to Rays fans here in the Tampa Bay region," Manfred said.
