As local officials contemplate a Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal, the Tampa Sports Authority, the public agency that manages Raymond James Stadium, is asking that they ensure any deal with the Rays does not hamstring future funding for the football stadium.
In a letter sent last Friday to County Commission Chair Ken Hagan, Patrick Manteiga, the Sports Authority's chairperson, noted that Raymond James will soon need public funding that could rival the Rays' near billion-dollar public request.
The Sports Authority, Manteiga wrote, previously provided Hillsborough with "a projected need of over $500 million in capital repairs" for Raymond James "just to maintain the facility in its current condition," not renovate or improve it.
Last month, the Tampa Bay Times reported the Bucs are seeking a $1 billion renovation to Raymond James and have floated paying one-third of the cost, while the public covers the other two-thirds. The Bucs' deadline to renew and extend the term of their lease, according to Sports Authority documents, is on or before Jan. 31, 2027.
"It is in all of our best interests to ensure that (Raymond James Stadium) remains a world-class venue, and we continue to meet all the NFL standards identified within our use agreement," Manteiga wrote.
Manteiga's message is the result of a Sports Authority vote last Tuesday to send letters to the Hillsborough County Commission and Tampa City Council specifying that allocating public funds for Raymond James should take precedence over funding for the Rays.
"I think that we should let the county know that we're greatly concerned," board member Tony Muniz, who made the motion for the letter, said last week. "There's only so (many) dollars that we have out there, and that we need to take care of our current tenants."
Muniz and Manteiga, as well as board members Andy Scaglione and C. Dennis Carlton Jr., are the four county appointees serving on the 11-member Sports Authority board.
Last week, they seemed to draw the ire of Commissioner Christine Miller, who asked the county attorney's office to advise the board on how to remove a Hillsborough-appointed member of the Sports Authority.
"Appointees take an oath to the Tampa Sports Authority, not a sports team," Miller said in an emailed statement last week. "I wanted to know the process for the day an appointee forgets the difference. Asking how a door works isn't the same as deciding to walk through it - but it's good to know before you need it. My question was meant to remind everybody what the mission of the Authority should be."
Miller was appointed to the County Commission in 2024 by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is a vocal proponent of the Rays proposal and received a $250,000 donation to his presidential campaign from Patrick Zalupski, the principal owner of the Rays.
Hagan, a member of the Sports Authority himself, has maintained that brokering a deal with the Rays would not in any way hinder funding for the football stadium.
"I want to be crystal clear that this board and administration values our partnership with our sports teams, but more importantly, our commitment to them has not changed or been reduced," Hagan said at a county workshop in April.
Hillsborough and Tampa both approved a nonbinding memorandum of understanding with the Rays last month, which outlines a $976 million public contribution toward the cost of the stadium, with $796 million coming from the county and $180 million from the city.
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