After a season spent as a Major League Baseball venue, more Steinbrenner Field renovations are on tap, as Hillsborough County approves $17.9 million in bed-tax proceeds for upgrades to the spring home of the New York Yankees.
Steinbrenner Field served as temporary home of the Tampa Bay Rays in 2025 after Hurricane Milton damage forced the temporary closure of Tropicana Field. The ballpark also serves as the regular season home of the Tampa Tarpons (Low-A; Florida State League).
Hillsborough County Commissioners voted Wednesday to spend $17.9 million on Steinbrenner Field renovations, with the Yankees slated to spend $22 million. The county’s share will come from the proceeds of the county bed tax dedicated to spending on sports and conventions-oriented tourism activities.
The improvements will focus on the fan experience, per a Hillsborough County handout, including:
- Security cameras
- Video distribution—ballpark TVs
- Networking to host WiFi & data throughout the entire ballpark
- $4.5 million scoreboard
- Bowl sound system
- Parking lot repaving
- Concourse traffic coating
- Magnatometers
- Extended concourse concessions & portables
- Stadium wall padding
- Seat replacements
- Fan facing & interior building WiFi
- Dugout safety renovation
- Interior finishes & furniture
- AC unit replacements in suites and press box
- Lightning on Steinbrenner Drive
- Stadium entry plaza renovation
- Community field turf and irrigation renovation
- Landscape renovation
- Share structure—main concourse
- Cabana covers
- First and third base rooftop covers
- Loge shade structures
- Community pavilion refresh
This is not the final approval for the project, as the county Tourism Development Council must also sign off. Interestingly, the $17.9 million pledged to Steinbrenner Field renovations was not the biggest bed-tax spend of the day from the county commission: also approved was $20 million for the Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors Bureau.
The ballpark opened as Legends Field in 1996 and received major renovations in 2017, with some more modest upgrades (mostly to the player side) in 2025. You can read about them here.
One issue faced by commissioners: approving spending on Steinbrenner Field while knowing that an ask for help from the Tampa Bay Rays on the ballpark is coming. One prime site for a new Rays ballpark and adjoining development is the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College, located south of Steinbrenner Field. According to commissioner Ken Hagan, who has been working on a new Rays ballpark solution for years, such a development isn’t at odds with upgrades to Steinbrenner Field. From WFLA.com:
Commissioner Hagan said he sees no funding conflict between the two stadium discussions.
Hagan also said there is “absolutely room” in Tampa for both teams, pointing to potential advantages if the facilities are close together, such as shared infrastructure or amenities.
“There’s absolutely room, not only for a ballpark, but for the surrounding development the new owners want,” Hagan said. “There could even be advantages with shared infrastructure.”
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