The Tampa City Council is heading into another crucial Rays stadium vote on Thursday, this time over the community benefits agreement that spells out what the team is promising the city as it pursues its Tampa ballpark.
The special meeting was called at the request of Luis Viera, who is leaving office before Election Day as he runs for a seat in the state Legislature. His exit matters here because Viera has been a dependable yes vote, and without him the council could be split 3-3 on stadium-related issues. His replacement has not been chosen yet, leaving future votes on the project in a fog of uncertainty.
“Getting my part of the community benefits agreement is something that is very, very important to me,” Viera said during a meeting this month. “The seat’s going to be open for a few weeks. You never know what’s going to happen, right?”
The agreement is one of the key pieces in the Rays’ $2.3 billion stadium effort. It commits the team to spending $60 million in Tampa and Hillsborough County, with council members having tied support for the ballpark to promises on housing, jobs, public safety and other community priorities.
Under the deal, the Rays would provide $21 million to the city and $39 million to the county, with the money taking the form of cash, services or other programs. The team says $12 million would go to the local governments in the first five years, including $4.2 million for Tampa and $7.8 million for Hillsborough County.
Thursday’s vote is only about Tampa’s share; the county portion will be handled separately.
Even with those promises on paper, the proposed agreement is still light on detail. The Rays have previously shared a tentative, non-binding list of commitments, but the current document leaves the final page blank where it says the team’s “Initial Community Benefits, including their estimated value and anticipated timing,” should appear.
A city memo from City Attorney Scott Steady said Rays representatives will attend the Oct. 29 meeting to lay out the proposed benefits and timeline. Those benefits have to fit into eight categories: mobility and regional access; jobs, workforce and local business; housing and neighborhood stability; youth, education and literacy; public safety and first responders; community, culture and inclusion; family and fan access; and governance, transparency and accountability.
The agreement also requires the team to provide annual updates on its progress. If the Rays miss a promised payment or service deadline, they will not be considered in default as long as they keep working in good faith to make up the shortfall within two years.
Council member Naya Young, who voted for the ballpark, said this summer that she wanted the Rays to engage woman and minority-owned businesses, invest in affordable housing and back youth programs, among other priorities. “Promises to upgrade parks, housing and community investment must be backed by enforceable commitments and timelines,” Young said in May.
“Just saying we’ll take care of it is not good enough. We need concrete commitments.”
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