Tampa council approves $2.3B stadium plan, two crucial votes in a row

The Tampa Bay Rays made it two in a row when the Tampa City Council approved the preliminary financing plan that includes millions of public dollars for their new $2. 3 billion stadium project. That 4-3 vote Thursday followed agreement a day earlier by the Hillsborough County Commission, both setting the stage for negotiations on a final plan.

There will be more votes on that in the coming months. The vote came after a lengthy public hearing in which more than 50 people signed up to speak, many of them supporting the project and wearing Rays gear and others skeptical of using so much taxpayer money for it. “I fault our elected officials.

Our elected officials are giving away our money with no protection for us," said Maritza Astorquiza, chair of an advisory panel on the community where the stadium would be built. Council members acknowledged the opposition but a majority decided it was best to continue discussions rather than rejecting the proposal at such an early stage. “To me, the good far outweighs the bad as far as moving forward at this time," said council member Luis Viera.

“This is not permanent. It’s a very, very big step. We’re not getting married today.