The Tampa Bay Rays received Hillsborough County Commission approval on Friday, 5-2, for a $796 million share of a $2.3 billion ballpark project, a day after the Tampa City Council approved $80 million. The project includes a new 31,000-seat stadium near Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and is expected to open in 2029. The Rays have committed at least $1.3 billion plus any cost overruns, with another $30 million coming from federal disaster recovery funds. The stadium and entertainment district will be built on Hillsborough College's campus, next to the New York Yankees' spring training facility.

Rays CEO Ken Babby said the partnership secures the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay. "The Rays are now home forever in Tampa Bay," Babby said. Since their 1998 inception, the Rays have played at the domed Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, moving home games to the Yankees' George M. Steinbrenner Field in 2025 after hurricane damage. The Rays' lease runs through at least 2028.

A prior $1.3 billion redevelopment deal adjacent to the Trop fell through last year, raising concerns about the team's future. The team was bought in September by Patrick Zalupski's ownership group.