08/28/2026
⚾️ I feel people are looking at this Rays stadium deal the wrong way.
Imagine someone shows you a safe.
They tell you:
“I’ll sell you the key for $100. If you open this safe, it could unlock $1 million worth of opportunity.”
Would you automatically say, “No way. I’m not spending $100!”
Or would you first ask:
“What exactly is inside that safe?”
That’s how I’m looking at the proposed Rays stadium project in Tampa.
Yes, Tampa and Hillsborough County would be putting public money into the project.
But we’re not talking about spending hundreds of millions of dollars just so people can watch 81 baseball games.
We’re talking about potentially unlocking:
⚾ A new Major League Baseball stadium
🏨 New hotels and convention business
🏢 Millions of square feet of private development
🏠 New residential development
🍽️ Restaurants, bars, retail and entertainment
👷 Tens of thousands of construction-related jobs over the buildout
💼 Thousands of permanent jobs once the district is developed
✈️ More tourism and visitors spending money in Hillsborough County
💰 A much larger property-tax and sales-tax base
🏙️ An entirely new sports and entertainment district next to Raymond James Stadium, Steinbrenner Field, Westshore and Tampa International Airport
The projections connected with the overall development have estimated tens of billions of dollars in economic activity over the coming decades.
And THAT is the part of this conversation I think is getting lost.
The stadium isn't necessarily the treasure.
The stadium may be the KEY that unlocks the treasure. 🔑
Now, does that mean taxpayers should write a blank check?
Absolutely not.
The Rays and developers should be held accountable. The private development needs to actually get BUILT. There should be protections for taxpayers, benchmarks and consequences if promises aren't fulfilled.
But if public participation helps unlock billions of dollars in private investment, thousands of jobs, hotels, restaurants, housing, tourism and decades of new economic activity, I think we at least have to ask ourselves:
Would turning down the key end up costing Tampa more than buying it?
That’s the real discussion I think we should be having.
👇 What do you think?
Would you support public money for the stadium if it helps unlock billions in private development around it?
YES or NO — and tell me why.
I’m genuinely interested in hearing both sides. ⚾️🌴
