Hillsborough County Approves Rays Ballpark Funding: $90 Million Plus $263 Million in Bonds
The Hillsborough County Commission in Florida voted on November 10 to approve key funding measures for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark. The commission added the ballpark as a new capital improvement project and appropriated $90 million from the Community Investment Tax extension project fund reserves as the project’s fiscal 2027 startup budget; it also placed the Rays ballpark on the list of infrastructure projects eligible for the renewed Community Investment Tax and authorized the county to issue up to $263 million in tourist development tax revenue bonds to finance construction. The new ballpark is planned for a 120-acre site at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus, at a total cost of about $2.36 billion, targeting completion in March 2029. In August, the City of Tampa and Hillsborough County had agreed to a combined $876 million in public funding — $80 million from the city and $796 million from the county. The vote comes as county finances are under pressure: Amendment 3, passed by Florida voters, will sharply raise the homestead property tax exemption, and the Florida Policy Institute estimates a revenue gap of nearly $1 billion for the county over the first two years.
Source: Hillsborough County Commission
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 棒球场资料图。（Pexels）
