Taxpayers against potential new Tampa Bay Rays stadium
Citizens aren’t so crazy about paying to help Tampa’s baseball team get a new home.
Every few years, we get to witness billionaire sports owners try to get public funding for a new stadium. The Tampa Bay Rays are currently that team, as they look for a new stadium to call home and the team ownership, led by Stuart Stemberg, is seeking public assistance in making that happen.
A few years ago the Rays floated the idea of a new ballpark in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. Ownership said at the time that they would be able to front about one-third of the cost of a new stadium that would cost no less than $600 million to construct, which means the Tampa taxpayers would foot the rest of the bill not covered by ownership and potential naming rights.
Up to nine sites are reportedly being considered, according to a report by the Tampa Bay Times. However, the Rays have not publicly acknowledged this. They have been floating the idea almost since moving into Tropicana Field in 1998. They have become emboldened after Raymond James Stadium and Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees and home to their Class-A affiliate, received public funding to offset costs to ownership.
The opposition to public funding is being led by Americans for Prosperity-Florida (AFP-F) which is pressuring lawmakers to steer clear of funding a new stadium when there are more important infrastructure needs in Tampa that could use the money.
AFP-F director Chris Hudson stated, “As the Rays search for a potential new sandlot to call home, their focus should steer clear of calling on taxpayers to sacrifice anymore. Major League Baseball has a rich history in Florida, but that history has been marred by greedy franchise owners and misinformed elected officials that have raided taxpayer coffers to the detriment of the communities that house these teams. Local officials need to stand by their citizens and disregard any attempts by MLB teams, like the Rays, that use faulty expectations and more broken promises.”
Hudson has an example fairly close by to point to in order to make his point. Across the state, the deal between Miami-Dade and the Miami Marlins is still fresh in the public’s mind. That deal between the team and the Marlins is considered to be one of the worst stadium deals for the public in history. That deal will cost Miami taxpayers $2.4 billion in interest payments among other costs.
The AFP-F fought Tampa lawmakers on the improvements to both Raymond James Stadium and Steinbrenner Field and lost both. It will be interesting if they get a win here and what it would mean for the future of Major League Baseball in the Tampa area.
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