FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis joined Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on Tuesday in supporting a proposed new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, a project that could determine whether the franchise remains in the region long term.

The Rays are under lease at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg through at least the 2028 season, but the Trop sustained significant hurricane damage in 2024 and a $1.3 billion redevelopment deal fell through last year, raising new questions about the future of the team, which is under new ownership.

The newly proposed ballpark would be built in Tampa, in the shadows of the New York Yankees’ spring training facility and across the street from Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

While the governor and commissioner both said they believe baseball belongs in Tampa Bay, few specifics were offered during a news conference in Tampa, including how much the proposal would cost or when it would be completed.

“In the coming days, you’ll see the first renderings of our new development and ballpark, the new forever home of the Tampa Bay Rays that will serve as a catalyst for this new community,” Rays Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby said.

Manfred noted that the key to economic success for most sports franchises is a strong partnership between the team, the community and the local government.

“Today’s an important day, a milestone along a path that I believe will lead to the Tampa Bay Rays being a part of this community for decades to come,” Manfred said.

Last month, the Rays signed a nonbinding memorandum of agreement with Tampa’s Hillsborough College to build a multiuse facility on a 113-acre site along Dale Mabry Boulevard. The project has been compared to Truist Park, where the Atlanta Braves play. The development would include a hotel, residential and retail areas along with multiple restaurants and bars.

The Hillsborough County Commission will discuss the stadium proposal during its regular meeting on Wednesday. An agenda item posted on the county’s website notes that the Rays have expressed intent to “bear a minimum of 50% of the cost of the construction of a ballpark.”

In that document, the team noted it would redevelop the Hillsborough College campus as a mixed-use campus district with retail, restaurants, entertainment, multifamily residential areas, hotels and a new building for classroom and administrative uses.

The remainder of the cost, which hasn’t yet been made public, would be left to public funding of some kind.

It’s unclear whether the county or city would be open to using local financing, which could include a local bed tax, for the project.

Any framework of funding for the stadium would have to be presented to the county commission, the city of Tampa and the Tampa Sports Authority for consideration.

DeSantis, while expressing full support for the proposal, said the state would not contribute direct funding to the stadium but could assist with road improvements and relocating a nearby juvenile justice facility.

The Rays have played 27 of their 28 seasons at Tropicana Field, located across Tampa Bay in St. Petersburg. Last season, the team played at Steinbrenner Field due to damage to Tropicana Field caused by Hurricane Milton in October 2024. The Category 5 storm shredded the roof off the domed stadium, which took over a year to repair.

The storm damage and the rising costs of repairs and new construction contributed to Stuart Sternberg’s decision to withdraw from a proposed deal with St. Petersburg last year and sell the team.

Babby is part of the new ownership group, which includes Patrick Zalupski, the CEO of Jacksonville-based Dream Finders Homes Inc., and Bill Cosgrove, CEO of Union Home Mortgage in Ohio. Babby also leads Fast Forward Sports Group, which owns minor league teams in Jacksonville, Florida, and Akron, Ohio.

Repairs at the Trop are complete, and the team is scheduled to return for the 2026 season.

The Rays are on the clock. Their lease at the Trop could be extended past 2028 until a stadium is completed. But no specifics have been addressed.

Through the years, there have been talks of relocating the team to Orlando or elsewhere.

On Tuesday, Manfred reiterated he does not view the new proposal as a last-ditch effort to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay.

“I do think we’re at a point in the history of the club that something needs to get done, but I would be hesitant to characterize it as it’s this or never again,” Manfred said.

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