Hillsborough County Funds for Rays' Ballpark

0:00Hillsborough County officials say money earmarked for the benchmark international arena and George M. Steinbrenner field will help cover the public funding the tap-a-bay raise won for their new ballpark County Administrator Bonnie Wise laid it out clear a big chunk of those project funds plus extra from the half-send community investment tax is needed to hit the teams ask the sales tax extended by voters two years back until 2041 got flagged early as a source through commissioner ideas on excess Revenue or reallocated sports dollars raise brass like CEO Ken Babby back all pro teams here stressing their boost to the economy and local vibe Most commissioners pushed back hard on dipping into the tax for stadiums and they're waiting on a legal opinion to see if it's even allowed Public talk has swirled around using surprise tax windfalls, but now its clear broader reallocations are in play Staff from the county Tampa and sports authority are digging into a fresh draft memo from the raise

1:00Covering not just cash, but infrastructure time lines and bill plans They want no public dollars flowing until permits lock-in bonds clear and lawsuits wrap up for good Next up an economic report drops before the April 16th workshop to sharpen deal terms Setting the stage for early May votes on a non-binding Agreement that could lock in the raise move to have obey news today powered by AI bringing you what matters