Rays stadium vote: Tampa leaders prep for community benefits and tax decisions
Tampa takes another step toward Rays stadium
With a crucial bond vote for the Rays stadium in Tampa now out of the way, what's next? Thursday, the city paved the way for $80 million of bonds that would go toward the $2.3 billion stadium. However, there are still several critical votes ahead for both the city and the county. FOX 13's Evan Axelbank reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - City and county leaders are preparing for several critical hurdles to bring a $2.3 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium to fruition following a major local financial vote Thursday.
Tampa Rays stadium project
What we know:
Tampa City Councilors paved the way Thursday for $80 million of bonds that would go toward the $2.3 billion stadium. City council members face a binding vote Oct. 29 for the community benefits agreement, which must go forward for the deal to be finalized. Under that agreement, the Rays are promising affordable housing, minority jobs and youth sports fields.
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City officials must also hold votes to establish a special taxing district and to direct the money generated in that area directly to the team. Additionally, the city must seek a court ruling on whether it can legally go into debt to cover bond payments, which could total an extra $60 million.
For the county's much larger share of $796 million, county commissioners scheduled a hearing and vote for Nov. 10 to discuss whether to use sales taxes on the project. Meanwhile, Mayor Jane Castor said she expects groundbreaking to happen in the next month, and team officials have been spending their own money on final site designs.
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Local government leadership shifts
What we don't know:
Questions remain over how city leaders will fill the vacancy left by Councilor Luis Viera, a project supporter who is resigning Nov. 2 to run for the state House. Because the remaining members face a 3-3 tie on the issue, appointing his replacement could trigger a consequential fight on the council.
Officials have not yet confirmed whether future votes will face additional blockades from opposition members. While Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen said the deal is past "the point of no return," individual leaders could still vote against specific implementation steps moving forward.
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Community leader perspectives
What they're saying:
"It's incredibly important to keep the momentum going," Castor said.
Addressing critics who argued that only project supporters should adhere to the agreement, Castor added: "The decision has been made whether you supported it or not to bring the Rays here. As we go through these formalities, trying to be a blockade in that process, there's no success at the end of that action. I think people just need to get on board, we're bringing the Rays here."
Cohen emphasized that the core deal is already settled. "I don't think that there's anything coming up here that I would describe as a do-or-die vote," Cohen said. "I think we are beyond the point of no return on this deal. Now, that doesn't mean that individual commissioners may not vote against certain items moving forward, but I think that we've made the definitive decision, and now we're implementing what we decided to do."
The Source: The information in this story was gathered from statements and public meeting records from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen, as well as official city and county meeting schedules.