TAMPA, Fla. — The Florida Cabinet are expected to vote Tuesday on gifting Hillsborough College 22 acres of land.
The move would give the college the land needed for a proposed Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium.
What You Need To Know
- Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet are expected to vote Tuesday on gifting Hillsborough College 22 acres of land. The move would give the college the land needed for a proposed Tampa Bay Rays baseball stadium
- Hillsborough College says it is working on plans to allow a quick relocation of the campus, and later a move in to a new permanent home
- Local leaders are still conducting economic impact studies on a new Rays Stadium
- The Rays have told local leaders it wants to be playing in a new stadium by the start of the 2029 MLB season
- PREVIOUS STORIES on Rays stadium pursuit
The team is envisioning a mixed-used entertainment district that would include a domed stadium that can seat about 31,000 people. According to a team release, the entire development would stretch about 130 acres across the campus.
Gov. Ron DeSantis has publicly signaled support for the project and discussions have been underway behind the scenes for months. The proposal would relocate HC’s oldest campus, a move that carries both promise and uncertainty for thousands of students and staff.
The Dale Mabry campus is adjacent to Raymond James Stadium. Most of the campus buildings are more than 50 years old, making maintenance increasingly costly.
Freshman Dania Arauc said she sees opportunity in the proposal but also has concerns.
“I do think it’s a great opportunity, especially if it means it is going to improve the campus or things like that, like make it more modern and stuff like that,” Arauc said. “The only thing is, how will it look during the transition?”
That transition is now the focus for campus leadership.
Campus President Paige Niehaus said HC has been intentional about planning for both temporary and permanent solutions.
“We’ve been very, very intentional in making sure that what works good here on Dale Mabry Campus and our thriving campus, carries over into a temporary space and then eventually a new permanent home,” Niehaus said.
Relocating an entire college campus is no small task, especially under a tight timeline. The Rays hope to open a new stadium by the start of the 2029 season. To meet that deadline, construction would need to begin within months.
“It will probably be a very rapid move into a temporary space,” Niehaus said. “So we are taking all the time that we have now to make sure that we are prepared for when that happens.”
While the governor has cited ongoing maintenance costs as a reason to support the relocation, college leaders stress the importance of collaboration.
“I think for not only the Rays to be successful, Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Campus needs to be successful as well,” Niehaus said. “And I think everybody has that in their best interest.”
Behind the land discussions lies a much larger financial question: How to pay for a new stadium.
Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa are still conducting economic impact studies to determine funding sources.
The projected cost of the stadium itself is just over $2 billion.
However, some estimates suggest the total cost, including surrounding development, could climb to $8 billion.
State approval of the land transfer would mark the clearest signal yet that Tampa is positioning itself as the Rays’ long-term home.
If the vote goes through today, the team would have five years to start building a stadium, or else the state could take the land back.
Jason Lanning
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