Deputy County Administrator Greg Horwedel (standing) called the Tampa Bay Rays’ timeline “very aggressive” when there is still “a lot of work that needs to be done” at a workshop on April 16. Image: Screengrab.
Hillsborough County officials have told the Tampa Bay Rays that meeting the team’s aggressive deadline to finalize a stadium deal is increasingly improbable, an unsurprising development that jeopardizes the $2.3 billion proposal.
The Rays reiterated their June 1 deadline in a letter sent to commissioners on April 15. CEO Ken Babby wrote that the team’s urgency is “driven by practical constraints, not pressure tactics.”
Opening a new ballpark in time for the 2029 season is a priority, as the team’s lease at Tropicana Field expires in 2028. Babby also noted that the Rays risk losing state funding and would face additional construction costs if their timelines are not met, which would “render the deal economically infeasible.”
County Attorney Julia Mandell sent a memo on Thursday, obtained by Power Broker Magazine, to the Rays and other Hillsborough officials that outlined key unresolved issues. She began by noting that stakeholders cannot even consider a timeline for completing project agreements until they reach consensus on the terms and conditions in the team’s draft memorandum of understanding (MOU).
“It would likely take at least 60-90 days to negotiate the development and funding agreement (and possibly the use agreement) following the approval of the MOU,” Mandell wrote.
June 1 is in 38 days.
Mandell noted that the Rays and their attorneys are working on answers to the dozens of questions and concerns posed in her memo. The team, which would contribute $1.235 billion toward a new stadium, has requested $750 million from the county and $251 million from Tampa.
“Should this commitment ultimately not be achievable, we would have no choice but to evaluate alternatives,” Babby wrote in his letter. “However, that is not our desired outcome.”
Babby added that “time and action are of the essence” in his letter, which came less than a day before the county’s first stadium workshop on April 16. A prepared statement from the team on Thursday lacked any ultimatums.
“We are working diligently on the list of questions provided to us by the county and city and will share our responses with them soon,” the Rays said in a prepared statement on Thursday. “With the right public-private partnership, we can build a world-class ballpark by 2029 and remain focused on doing so.”
Mandell’s memo stated that the draft MOU “requires a high standard of best efforts” for the county to negotiate terms and finalize the project agreements. She said the concept, discussed on multiple occasions during private negotiations, “appears to be an effort to create binding obligations” that would “set the table for a detrimental reliance claim if the parties cannot reach an agreement.”
“In order to protect the public interest, the MOU must expressly state that it is non-binding and any obligations are subject to the review and approval of each of the project agreements,” she wrote.
Mandell asked the Rays to detail their funding sources and a parking plan. The memo also states that the stadium should be subject to property taxes, a final agreement must obligate the team to complete the surrounding mixed-use development, and public funding should only go toward public areas of the stadium and infrastructure.
“This is a complex deal,” said Deputy County Administrator Greg Horwedel at the April 16 meeting. “We’re not at the stage yet with staff where we feel comfortable with all the dollar amounts that are being proposed, and how those might impact the county budget.”
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