Tampa Bay Rays' Stadium Plan: $2.3B Boost for Drew Park

0:00Business owners in Tampa's Drew Park are buzzing about a potential game-changer, a draft deal for a $2.3 billion Tampa Bay raise. Ball Park. The raise just dropped its memorandum of understanding to build on part of Hillsborough Community College's Dale Maybury campus. It calls for a state-of-the-art stadium and mixed-use spot, aiming to open March 1, 2009, with 40,000 full-time jobs and $34 billion in economic boost over 30 years. Public cash tops out at $1.06 billion, $251 million from the city, $750 million from the county, while the raise cover $1.235 billion plus any overruns. Drew Park's mostly industrial now, with some homes and apartments, but local seed evolving into a hot spot with restaurants, housing, and events. Things like Luigi Leon, who runs an architecture firm and exotic car rentals there, love the idea. He picked the spot near the airport for car shows and networking, and says the stadium fits

1:02Tampa's growth, pumping up the economy for everyone. Boxing coach Omar Albanyl, who grew up in the hood and opened his gym in 2011, backs it too, calling the area overlooked but full of history, tied to the old airport land. Still, its early county officials haven't reviewed the raise draft yet, and funding's tricky with tourist taxes and bonds on the table. They got other priorities, like schools closing in 2027, but business folks say the investments worth it. Next week brings meetings, commissioners eye a review, Wednesday April 15th, then a funding workshop, Thursday at 1.30pm, April 16th. Ray CEO Ken Babby calls it a big collaborative step toward their forever home, and with final deals eyed before June 1st, 2026, this could reshape Drew Park for good. Tampa Bay News, today powered by AI bringing you what matters. I'm Corey with the story.