With at least 17 options on the table, it’s time to start eliminating potential Rays ballpark sites — and it sound like the team and elected officials are doing just that, with one high-profile location apparently off the list. (more…)
Tag Archives | hillsborough county
Candidates: Tourism Tax Should Pay for Rays Ballpark
Hillsborough County is in an election year, and the result of a key seat could swing the balance for a Tampa Bay Rays ballpark. (more…)
Separating Wheat From Chaff in Tampa Bay Ballpark Search
With 17 potential ballpark sites on the table, politicians and Tampa Bay Rays officials are beginning the long process of deciding on a handful of finalists in Pinellas and Hillborough counties — but it’s already apparent some of the contenders are pretenders. (more…)
Rays, Politicos Discuss Nine Potential Ballpark Sites
The Tampa Bay Rays and political leaders from Tampa and Hillsborough County have compiled a list of nine potential ballpark sites, including a few locations that have already been identified in the media. (more…)
Tampa mayor pitches downtown Rays ballpark
The Tampa Bay Rays have a three-year window to identify a potential new ballpark site in the region, but Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he already has the perfect location: a downtown site currently used for an aging low-income housing project. (more…)
Sternberg: Rays ballpark search will proceed
The search for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark location will take place in coming years with or without the cooperation of St. Petersburg, according to Rays owner Stuart Sternberg. (more…)
Most county-board candidates indicate support for new Rays ballpark in Tampa
Considering Florida’s extreme political climate, a surprising number of candidates for Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners indicated some level of government support for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark in Tampa. Party affiliation didn’t seem to be a factor in how candidates responded to queries from 10 News on how they’d approach bringing the Rays […]
Foster: MLB looking for reason to flee Tampa Bay
Not only do MLB owners want to see the Tampa Bay Rays leave Tropicana Field, they want to see the team leave Tampa Bay completely, according to outgoing St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster. As mayor, Foster led a dogged fight to ensure the Rays play out their entire lease at Tropicana Field, which runs through […]
Residents: Let Rays buy out Trop lease, move to Tampa
A plurality of St. Petersburg residents are willing to let the Tampa Bay Rays buy out their Tropicana Field lease and pursue a new ballpark anywhere in the Tampa Bay area. This was released in a poll released this morning. The poll, conducted on behalf of the Tampa Bay Times, Bay New 9 and WUSF […]
St. Pete mayor: Talks with Rays going poorly
St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster, tied up in a tight reelection battle, says talks between his office and the Tampa Bay Rays over Tropicana Field lease are not going well — and blames MLB for the impasse. In a report to the City Council, Foster took aim at the commissioner’s office as he declared talks […]
Feeding frenzy begins on siting potential Rays ballpark
The Tampa Bay Rays haven’t even received permission to explore new-ballpark sites in the region, but some Hillsborough County officials are pushing alternative sites to a downtown Tampa location. Hillsborough County Commissioner Victor Crist is already pushing a new ballpark at the former Tampa Greyhound Track site off I-275, which could also include a new […]
Negotiations begin: Tampa asks for at least $200M from Rays for new ballpark
After years of relative inactivity, things are moving on a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, with Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn launching things publicly with a stance that the Rays put up a third of the cost of a new $600 million ballpark. From the Tampa Tribune: Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan held […]
St. Pete mayor relents on Rays lease; Tampa moves to woo team
With St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster finally facing reality and softening his stance on a move of the Tampa Bay Rays, Tampa officials are already prepping a game plan to lure the franchise across the bay. In the middle of a tough reelection campaign, the hardnosed Foster — who has insisted from Day One that […]