(The Center Square) – Federal taxpayer funds will be used to reimburse part of St. Petersburg’s hurricane repair bill for Tropicana Field as the home team eyes a move to another stadium.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved $16.5 million to fix the stadium where the Tampa Bay Rays played baseball until Hurricane Milton heavily damaged it in 2024. The project is one of over 500 listed in a $483 million disaster recovery package for Florida announced in late January.
The St. Petersburg City Council, legally mandated to maintain Tropicana Field through the 2028 season, approved around $60 million in repairs.
The Rays have said they will spend three more years there while the team’s new ownership negotiates a move to a new stadium at the beginning of the 2029 season.
In January, the Hillsborough College Board of Trustees approved a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the Rays to redevelop the college’s 113-acre Dale Mabry campus across the street from Raymond James Stadium and about 20 miles from Tropicana Field.
A rendering of the team’s proposed ballpark and mixed use district at the site includes an exterior of the stadium and a “Champions Quarter” neighborhood, inspired by projects like The Battery in Atlanta.
Taxpayer subsidies for new or renovated sports stadiums have drawn criticism in recent years.
Florida TaxWatch, which in 2024 examined a proposal for a new Rays stadium and surrounding development in St. Petersburg, said it could end up costing city and county taxpayers much more than its estimated $1.3 billion price tag.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has opposed using state money directly for stadiums, signaled his approval for the team’s change of course, calling the Hillsborough College plan “mutually beneficial” and “what you need to succeed in this day and age.”
Hillsborough County has considered using an existing half-penny sales tax to help fund the $2 billion stadium.
