Tampa Bay Rays host first-ever community sessions on proposed Hillsborough Community College ballpark site

Rays hosting community engagement session

People can weigh in on the future of the Tampa Bay Rays at the team's first community meeting on Tuesday night. FOX 13's Heather Healy reports.

TAMPA - The Rays are launching their first-ever community engagement sessions, starting Tuesday night from 6:30–8:00 p.m. at the Hillsborough College Dale Mabry Student Services Auditorium, giving fans a chance to ask questions, share concerns, and offer ideas about the proposed ballpark.

This meeting is the first of its kind for the Tampa Bay Rays because they’re reaching out to the community, the fans, for input at the new ballpark site at Hillsborough County College.

Tuesday night will kick off the first of three events, as leadership from both the Rays and the college will be there to talk about the vision they have for this project.

What they're saying:

The Rays say they want to get the community involved early to see what they have to say about it, if there are any questions, concerns, or new emerging ideas.

"We will go far and wide to ask questions, to learn, to take feedback and have community huddles throughout the region to learn how to make our project the right. Perfect public private partnership," said Ken Babby, Rays co-owner. "This is an opportunity to make a statement together as a community," he added.

Last week, when the cabinet meeting and the vote to move this project forward was held, Governor Ron DeSantis was very adamant about keeping this team in the Tampa Bay area, giving the fans and community something to look forward to in the coming years with this ball club.

READ: Gov. DeSantis, cabinet designates 22 acres at Hillsborough College into Rays stadium talks

"In order to make this something that's special, it really has to be something unique like this. And I do think there's a lot of potential there, both for the college and for the team and for the fans and for the overall community," DeSantis said. "Look, it'll have an economic benefit for the state of Florida at large, but honestly, you know, I'm much more important. I'm more concerned with making sure HCC goes to the next level and making sure the fans have a team in Florida that they can root for in the Tampa Bay area," he added.

Timeline:

The next two meetings will be held Tuesday, March 10th and Wednesday, March 11th:

Tuesday, March 3, 2026

• 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Hillsborough Community College – Dale Mabry Campus - Dale Mabry Student Services Auditorium (DSTU 111)
• 4001 West Tampa Bay Blvd. Tampa, FL 33614

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

• 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• Jefferson High School Auditorium
• 4401 W Cypress St. Tampa, FL 33607

Wednesday, March 11, 2026

• 6:30 p.m. – 8 p.m.
• The Skills Center
• 5107 N 22nd St. Tampa, FL 33610