A.G. Gancarski
Ron DeSantis wants the Tampa Bay Rays to stay in Florida. But not enough for the state to help pay for it.
Money for a stadium is a deal breaker, the Governor said Tuesday, adding that while the state will “be helpful within the confines of what’s appropriate for taxpayers to be doing,” that assistance “will not involve at our level giving money for the construction of a stadium.”
But he left open the door for local governments, saying “if someone buys the team and they want to build a nice new stadium, they can work with whatever local city and county if they want.”
However, beyond “roads and exits,” the state investment will be minimal.
DeSantis also said Major League Baseball told him they “are not allowing this team to leave Florida.”
“Because I think they understand that this is the fastest growing state. It’s the third largest state in the country,” he said. “To have a Major League team leave, that’s not something we want, obviously, but actually, it’s bad for the league. It makes baseball look poorly that they couldn’t hack it in really big markets.”
DeSantis wasn’t sure about the team staying in St. Petersburg; he suggested a sale might help to stabilize the franchise.
“I know that the current owner has basically not got a path forward in Pinellas County. I think that the goal would be if there’s a new owner to then have an ability to do a stadium in a place that would be economically viable. And I think you can do it. I absolutely think it can work,” the Governor said.
He also noted noise around the team and its future is nothing new.
“You know, I’ve been told for years that the Rays were likely to be sold soon, and it hasn’t really happened. You know, maybe we’re getting closer to that now, but I’m confident that the team’s not going to leave Florida. Obviously, the Tampa Bay area has had it for a long time, and I’ve told people, I’m not saying, you know, it should be in St. Pete, Tampa, Orlando, or any of that. My job as Governor is to just sit there. If I can be helpful to keep it in Florida, then I’m going to do that,” DeSantis said.
The owner of the Orlando Dreamers soccer team is exploring bringing a team to the City Beautiful, and clearly the Governor doesn’t want to wade in to that developing saga. The Rays, who are currently playing in Tampa at Steinbrenner Field, are free to leave St. Petersburg after the 2028 season, a date that reflects a one year extension on the team’s contract to play at Tropicana Field after the stadium was badly damaged during Hurricane Milton and is undergoing extensive repairs.
