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DeSantis: No state tax dollars for a new Rays stadium
Wherever the beleaguered Tampa Bay Rays decide to go, should they leave St. Petersburg, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has pledged that the state won’t kick in any money for construction of a new stadium.
“We are not taking your tax dollars at the state level to do any stadiums,” DeSantis said during a Tuesday press conference in Apopka. “Just not gonna happen.”
He did concede that the state might help with infrastructure, such as “roads and exits,” should the Rays find a way to build a stadium.
The team’s contract with St. Petersburg expires in 2028. With Tropicana Field’s vinyl roof in shreds since Hurricane Milton last October, games are being played at the much smaller George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
The City of St. Petersburg is paying to restore Tropicana Field and replace the roof.
A 2023 agreement between the Rays organization and Pinellas County, to build a new, state-of-the-art baseball stadium as part of a $6.5 billion redevelopment project, fell through in March. “I know that the current owner has basically not got a path forward in Pinellas County,” the governor explained.
Team ownership has not announced any plans beyond the current contract.
DeSantis said he had spoken with Major League Baseball representatives. “They told me, we are not allowing this team to leave Florida. Because I think they understand this is the fastest growing state, it’s the third largest state in the country. To have a major league team leave, that’s not something we want, obviously, but it’s actually bad for the league.
“Makes baseball look poorly that they couldn’t hack it in really big markets.”
The governor said he’d been “told for years that the Rays were likely to be sold soon, and it hasn’t really happened. Maybe we’re getting closer to that now, but I’m confident that the team’s not going to leave Florida.”
He added: “I’m not saying it should be in St. Pete, Tampa, Orlando or any of that. My job as governor … if I can be helpful to keep it in Florida, then I’m going to do that.”
Sean
May 31, 2025at3:17 am
They are staying in st. Pete. Stu doesn’t have the money for a new stadium so ultimately he’s going to renew his lease at the trop because he’ll have no choice. Also Richie Floyd was spot on when he said that if the building is going to exist then no point in taking a renewal off the table and having no tenants. As much as the team and the politicians are sick of each other they really don’t have any other options.
Travis Weberling
May 30, 2025at10:35 am
The Rays seriously should consider selling the team or at the very least relocate the team to Orlando,they’d pack in the stadium every night compared to what they’ve been doing in St Petersburg.
Tony Brzezicki
May 30, 2025at8:17 am
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, they try to ram this down our throats and by one vote it passed so all the surrounding counties around Milwaukee ended up paying an addition to the sales tax and we were told it was gonna help the economy in the surrounding counties none of this ever showed any difference We all ended up paying sales tax and saw no economic benefit whatsoever. The only thing that happened was we built a new stadium to benefit the baseball players and the owners so they could buy their new Ferraris and Rolls-Royce’s to drive to the baseball park. Don’t ever believe any of these people when they tell you forget what the governor says, and we should allow state funds to be used for a baseball stadium. It doesn’t work. It never has and it never will or you will be just like me who had to pay .05% Sales tax on everything I bought for 10 years what did I get the loss of money? What did the baseball players get? A new Ferrari?
Mike Connelly
May 29, 2025at7:05 pm
“I hope that Mr. Steinbrenner never ever sells the team to anyone.”
Rose, put the doobie down 👇
S
May 29, 2025at4:15 pm
Dodging a Boondoggle: Taxpayers Just Got Lucky
Great news — for taxpayers, that is. Looks like we won’t be sinking millions of public dollars into yet another doomed stadium project.
How much time, money, and political capital did the City, County, and Mayor waste chasing this ridiculous idea? All for a project that offered no real return the first time around — which is precisely why they never talk about it.
Study after study from independent think tanks has shown the same thing: publicly financed sports stadiums do not benefit communities. Not sometimes — never. They’re glorified subsidies for sports teams and politically connected businesses, all of whom profit at the public’s expense while leaving the long-term interests of the community behind.
And really — was it not obvious from the start that the state funding was never going to materialize? The only surprise is that it took this long for reality to set in.
At least now, the public dodges another financial black hole. Let’s hope the officials finally learned something — though history suggests otherwise.
Hikingagain
May 29, 2025at4:05 pm
His highness won’t use state money for the new stadium, but he’ll take it and give it to his wife’s fund. The y both should be thrown in jail. Great ‘role” models for their kids.
Rick Ruch
May 29, 2025at2:10 pm
The governor does not have any say so in what baseball can or cannot do he needs to keep his nose out of baseball
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
May 29, 2025at11:27 am
The behind the scene conversations are Not being reported. I hope that Mr. Steinbrenner never ever sells the team to anyone. There were conversations that the public does not know happened. I really liked the Hines/Rays plans for the 86 acres even though they were not the plans made to fool the residents to sell their properties and move out of the Gas Plant area. The site would have been a tourist attraction by it self. The new stadium would be used year round for concerts, sports, graduations and conventions. oh well, I can dream. Where are the original plans for the site? The plans used to ‘hood wink’ the residents???
Gary Wilson
May 29, 2025at11:02 am
I agree we should not have to put a dime of any kind of tax payer money into a stadium. If anything help all of us that need relief from storm damage and get back in homes and fix what caused sewage spills and flooding.
Don olemeyer
May 29, 2025at7:33 am
Ask Juan Soto to buy the team and build a stadium. He’s got 700 million dollars and isn’t doing anything for the Mets lately.
Alan DeLisle
May 29, 2025at6:46 am
First time I think I have said this: The Governor is right on the money.
If only Welch and the sold out five Council members understood this two years ago, the Trop mess could have been avoided.
Mayor Kriseman’s Midtown deal was framed knowing that the Rays’ chances of leaving were next to zero. But the Rays brainwashed the new Mayor and the superficial Council, except for a few, into believing that they had been mistreated, they cared about St Pete, and would pour money into their campaigns. Well, they were right about the last one.
Good for the Governor. Now maybe some of the business leaders in St Pete will start to find a voice.
Richard C
May 29, 2025at6:08 am
The key thing with the Ray’s is an awful owner who is not committed to St. Petersburg, Tampa, or the people of Florida. State of Florida shouldn’t commit any resources, money, or infrastructure to this owner. He needs to gom