Hillsborough County Commissioner Josh Wostal asserted on Wednesday that documents related to a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium financing deal exist and should be released to the public.
Mounting concerns over the lack of transparency surrounding a Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal stoked ardent debate on Wednesday at a Hillsborough County Commission meeting.
Commissioner Joshua Wostal filed a motion that would have forced staff and the Tampa Sports Authority to release all draft documents regarding stadium financing negotiations with the Rays. County Attorney Julia Mandell and Administrator Bonnie Wise, much to his dismay, insisted that publicly releasable information does not exist.
Mandell said she, like Wostal, has “heard about leaked documents.” However, negotiations between the administration and Rays have been confined to in-person or online meetings, and staff notes are not “subject to the public records law or production.”
“If this board doesn’t want to allow the public to see how we’re attempting to spend their money, then shame on us,” Wostal said. “The records in question are there. They have been shared. They should be made available to the public immediately, and I will testify under oath that they all have been shared among county staff.”
Mandell was adamant that the county had not received any draft documents regarding the Rays stadium deal. Wostal asked if staff completed an extensive financial risk analysis “in their head.”
While there “may be some documents that we have created that did analyze various revenue sources,” said Wise, “nothing has been agreed to.” She believes it is “very awkward” to publicly negotiate “a deal of this magnitude.”
Mandell and Wise both stated that personal notes not shared with anyone else are not considered public records. “Something doesn’t smell right,” Wostal said.
A rendering of the proposed ballpark at the Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus. Image: Tampa Bay Rays.
The Rays shared that they plan to contribute 54% of the stadium’s estimated $2.3 billion cost, with public funding covering the remaining $1.06 billion. An initial financing proposal, according to commissioners briefed on the subject, reportedly includes $467 million from the county’s Community Investment Tax (CIT). The money pays for infrastructure, public facilities, and current stadium upgrades.
Residents approved renewing the CIT, a half-cent sales tax, through a ballot referendum in 2024. Wostal reminded the board on Wednesday that he and multiple colleagues spoke against using the money for new stadiums before that vote.
Commissioners subsequently allowed the Tampa Bay Sports Authority to negotiate a Rays deal using any expected excess CIT revenue above what was previously earmarked for other projects. Wostal asked if that has since changed without their blessing.
Mandell was reluctant to “get into a discussion about the things that we have talked about, publicly, at this time.” Various funding sources are under consideration, she added.
Wostal said the commission wants to “force” a stadium financing vote on April 15 to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay. The team has stressed the importance of opening a new ballpark in time for the 2029 season.
“I was promised by the Rays … the Saturday before last, that we would both jointly call the administrator and have her release these documents. Radio silence, nothing,” Wostal said. “Then I received another phone call on Sunday that they do agree, and that I would receive these documents before today’s board meeting … and here we are again, nothing.”
Commissioner Chris Boles believes formal negotiations would create an “executive work product,” which falls under public record laws. He said the county is operating within a “gray realm” while the public and commissioners are left in the dark.
Boles said Hillsborough and Tampa officials are trying to “not lose the Rays,” when they are St. Petersburg’s team “to keep.” He also bemoaned the timeline.
“We’re being pushed up against this deadline,” Boles said of efforts to approve a deal. “That’s not our deadline, it’s somebody else’s deadline.”
Wostal’s motion did not carry a vote. Commissioner Harry Cohen said it was “very irresponsible of us to break open this information” before negotiations had concluded.
Commissioner Christine Miller noted that “transparency is critical, especially in a project of this magnitude.” She also doesn’t believe that “anything should be released,” and said the board must trust the negotiating team.
Cohen subsequently motioned to schedule a televised workshop when public documents are available, followed by a public hearing. While Hagan acknowledged there is a “sensitive issue on time,” he supported the additional meetings.
The commission approved the workshop, with Wostal and Boles dissenting. Commissioner Gwen Myers later asked Mandell to clarify whether the county can use CIT funds to help pay for a new stadium.
Mandell, who was not the county attorney in 2024, preferred to seek an outside legal opinion and said she would report back to the board before April 15. Wostal said the county should prepare for a legal battle.
“It’s not if we are going to get sued on this, it’s when we get sued on this – if we use CIT for a new professional sports stadium,” Wostal said.
An aerial rendering of the new ballpark and surrounding district. Image: Tampa Bay Rays.
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