The parking lot at Hillsborough College's Dale Mabry campus has emerged as a potential site for a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium, according to Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who said the likely new owners are also considering a location in Ybor City.
The development comes as Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski moves closer to finalizing his $1.7 billion purchase of the Rays, with the sale expected to be completed as early as September. The new ownership's preference is to play in Tampa, marking a significant shift from the team's 27-year tenure in St. Petersburg.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor has called the Hillsborough College site "a viable option" that could open up more space for parking and easier traffic flow. The location would place a new ballpark alongside Raymond James Stadium and George M. Steinbrenner Field, where the Rays currently play their home games after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field's roof in October 2024.
Hagan, who has championed bringing the Rays to Tampa for over a decade, identified multiple potential sites for the prospective owners. However, he has described the Ybor Harbor waterfront location as "the leader in the clubhouse" among stadium sites. That 33-acre development area, owned by Darryl Shaw, was previously pitched to the Rays in 2018 but rejected over financing concerns.
The stadium discussions take on new urgency as Major League Baseball owners are expected to vote on approving Zalupski's purchase by the end of September. In order for Zalupski's purchase of the Rays to be finalized, 75% of Major League Baseball team owners would have to vote to approve it.
Zalupski, the founder and CEO of Dream Finders Homes, has assembled an investment group that includes Ken Babby, owner of the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and Akron RubberDucks minor league teams, and Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage. Forbes lists his net worth at $1.4 billion.
The potential stadium discussions represent a dramatic turnaround for the franchise, which in March withdrew from a $1.3 billion stadium development agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County. That deal would have kept the team at a new facility adjacent to Tropicana Field through the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment project.
Current owner Stuart Sternberg, who purchased the team for $200 million in 2004, has struggled for years to secure a new stadium to replace the aging Tropicana Field. The Rays are contractually obligated to play at the St. Petersburg facility through the 2027 season, though they are temporarily playing at the Yankees' Tampa spring training complex due to hurricane damage.
For Hillsborough County officials, landing the Rays would represent the culmination of a pursuit that began in earnest when Hagan started what he calls his "crusade" to bring the team to Tampa in 2010. The county previously offered $193.7 million in public funding for a stadium project in 2022, though Sternberg ultimately declined to pursue that proposal.
The team's attendance struggles have persisted even in their temporary Tampa home, where they play in a facility with approximately 11,000 seats compared to Tropicana Field's 25,000-plus capacity. Despite the Rays' competitive success, including multiple playoff appearances in recent years, the franchise has ranked among baseball's bottom teams in attendance.
Any new stadium deal would require significant public funding and government approval, creating potential political hurdles for the new ownership group. However, Hagan suggested that state-level support might be available, noting that Governor Ron DeSantis could back infrastructure funding for a Tampa-area project.
