TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Hillsborough County commissioners are considering transparency and whether a voter-approved tax fund can be used to help finance a new $1.2 billion Tampa Bay Rays stadium on the Hillsborough College campus.
The Rays have committed to covering 50% of the cost of the new stadium, but the source of the remaining funding remains unresolved.
During the April 1 meeting, commissioners clashed over the release of ongoing negotiation documents and the potential use of the Community Investment Tax, or CIT, to foot the county's portion of the bill.
Commissioner Harry Cohen proposed scheduling a public workshop once a formal stadium proposal is ready to ensure an orderly discussion. He denied rumors of an impending deadline for the deal.
"What I suggested today is that as soon as there is a document for us to discuss that we schedule a workshop session of the county commission to discuss it," Cohen said.
"We are not allowed under the laws of this state to have a discussion about how to move this forward outside of the public realm, and what a workshop would allow us to do is to have that discussion in an orderly way," Cohen said.
Commissioner Josh Wostal opposed the delay, arguing that negotiation documents have already been shared among county staff and should be subject to public records laws immediately.
County Attorney Julia Mandell pushed back, explaining that under Florida public records law, documents drafted by county employees are considered personal notes unless they are distributed.
"A document does not become a public record unless it is shared with others, meaning personal notes are not shared with others," Mandell said.
"If I share that with anyone, then it becomes a public record," Mandell said.
Wostal expressed disbelief that a financial risk analysis performed by a county employee on county time would be exempt from public release.
"I just, the public is going to fall out of their chair when they watch this, that if a county employee that performs a financial risk analysis over their own taxes, on county time, on county computer, that they are ineligible to share that because it's alleged personal note," Wostal said.
Wostal then made a formal motion to force the release of the information.
"I motion to compel county staff, the county attorney's office, Tampa Sports Authority, and their attorney, whom I've been led to believe does have a draft document, to release draft documents created by staff during regularized business hours on county laptops or electronic devices concerning the Tampa Bay Rays deal by the end of this week," Wostal said.
"This is to ensure at least a minuscule amount of public transparency and what can be the single largest taxpayer burden item in the history of Hillsborough County," Wostal continued.
Mandell stated she was not aware of any documents existing that fell outside the legal definition of personal notes. However, County Administrator Bonnie Wise admitted some internal analysis had taken place.
"Maybe some documents that we have created that did analyze various revenue sources that nothing has been agreed to necessarily discussed with the Rays," Wise said. "This is very awkward to be negotiating a deal of this magnitude in the public."
Wostal also raised legal concerns about using the CIT for the project. The CIT is a voter-approved half-cent sales surtax that finances general government, public safety, and educational facilities in Hillsborough County.
Wostal argued the 2024 ballot language intentionally omitted the phrase "community stadium" to prevent the funds from being used for professional sports teams.
"It's not if we're going to be sued on this, it's when we get sued on this if we use CIT for a new professional sports stadium," Wostal said.
Mandell noted she plans to seek an outside legal opinion regarding the ballot language and voter intent, as she was not with the county attorney's office when the language was drafted.
"I'm inclined to get an outside legal opinion, given all of the issues that have come up and since I was not here," Mandell said.
According to the county's website, 74.4% of CIT collections are allocated to Hillsborough County from December 2026 through December 2041. Transportation and Public Works is set to receive $1.34 billion, Public Safety is allocated $487.3 million, and Public Utilities receives $180 million.
At the center of the debate is the $597 million designated for Public Facilities. Of that amount, 91% is reserved for community facilities, a category that includes tournament sports facilities and capital maintenance for Steinbrenner Field, Benchmark Arena, and Raymond James Stadium.
During a previous discussion, Commissioner Ken Hagan argued the stadium deal cannot move forward without CIT funding.
"I truly understand the concerns of Commissioner Wostal and Boles when it comes to CIT funding, but again, I want to be very honest and transparent," Hagan said. "This agreement does not happen without CIT funding."
The Rays have suggested the remaining 50% of the stadium cost could come from a variety of other sources, including the Tourist Development Tax, Community Redevelopment Agency property tax increment revenue, Community Development Districts, and the Westshore Hotel/Motel Special Assessment Fee.
Other potential sources include the Florida Sports Development Program, infrastructure funds to address stormwater deficiencies, facility rent charges, ticket surcharges, investment earnings, a new Entertainment District Retail Use Tax, or a new Rental Car Surcharge.
The debate over funding and transparency has sparked bipartisan concern among residents. Carmen Edmonds, chair of the Hillsborough County Republican Party, voiced opposition to the project, noting an unusual alignment with groups like the NAACP.
Edmonds said residents in neighborhoods near the proposed site are worried about displacement, property values, and affordability for small businesses.
"I just think that if they have the money as billionaire owners and other investors, they should assume the full risk for the stadium and not expect the taxpayers to foot half of the bill," Edmonds said.
Edmonds urged the county to slow the process down and increase transparency for the public.
"I think right now, nationally and locally, voters, whether you're Democrat or Republican, they're not feeling heard by their representatives, and I think it's causing a lot of animosity," Edmonds said.
While commissioners are expected to continue the conversation during their next meeting on April 15, they stressed that a final vote is not yet on the horizon. In the meantime, the county has not set a date for the newly approved public workshop, as officials wait for a formal stadium proposal to be finalized and released for public review.
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