Tampa Police Benevolent Association President Brandon Barclay said the proposal protects public safety funding and would provide a modern District One station.

A Tampa Police Department station could soon find a new home at the Tampa Bay Rays ballpark district proposed at the Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus.

The Rays announced that the Tampa Police Benevolent Association is supporting the stadium plan, with the team committing to work on relocating the Tampa Police Department District One station to the proposed ballpark district. The move would replace the aging facility currently in use, which needs a substantial amount of maintenance. 

The team said the relocation would give officers a modern facility inside a district expected to serve residents, students, visitors, businesses and fans.

“From the beginning of this process, we have taken a ‘Do No Harm’ approach to public safety, ensuring this project does not take funding away from police, fire, emergency management, or other critical public priorities,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said. 

Babby said the team is committed to relocating the station into the district because “public safety must be built into the foundation of this project.”

“As we work toward a Forever Home for the Rays, we want to ensure the men and women who protect our community have a seat at the table and the resources they need to serve this growing district and the surrounding neighborhoods,” he said. 

The announcement follows last week’s release of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) outlining the framework for a new Rays ballpark and mixed-use district. Tampa Police Benevolent Association President Brandon Barclay commended the team’s commitment to “keep public safety at the forefront of this process.” 

Hillsborough County and Tampa officials are expected to vote on the MOU within the coming days. The MOU would not finalize the stadium deal. Instead, it would allow the Rays, Hillsborough County, Tampa, the Tampa Sports Authority, the Community Redevelopment Agency Board and Hillsborough College to continue negotiating more detailed agreements.

Barclay said the proposal protects public safety funding and would provide a modern District One station that could better serve officers, residents, businesses and visitors as the area grows.

“We support the Tampa Bay Rays proposal and encourage our elected officials at the County and City to move it forward this week,” Barclay said. “The proposal protects public safety funding and ensures the success of the district will generate benefits for the entire community. We appreciate the Rays’ commitment to a modern District One station that would better serve officers, residents, businesses, and visitors in this growing area.”

Under the framework released last week, the public contribution would be capped at $976 million. Hillsborough County would contribute up to $796 million, while Tampa and its Community Redevelopment Agency would contribute another $180 million combined.

The county’s share would include $360 million in community investment tax (CIT) revenue, about $263 million in tourist development tax (TDT) bond proceeds, a $40 million sixth-cent TDT reserve payment, $30 million in federal disaster recovery funds for stormwater work and $103 million from other county sources.

Tampa’s share would include $80 million from city revenues and up to $100 million from CRA funds tied to the surrounding development.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Hillsborough County Commission Chair Ken Hagan and Babby last week said the agreement is a turning point for a project that could keep Major League Baseball in Tampa Bay, revitalize Hillsborough College’s aging Dale Mabry campus and remake the Drew Park redevelopment area.

But the proposal still faces scrutiny from local officials wary of the public financing structure. County Commissioner Joshua Wostal has been one of the most vocal skeptics. After reviewing the MOU last week, he told Florida Politics that the framework had not eased his concerns about public risk, saying, “if anything, it may have gotten worse.”

Wostal has been especially critical of the proposed use of CIT dollars. He said the county would commit $360 million over four years, taking up more than half of expected annual CIT revenue in the early years of the renewed 15-year tax. He argued that reliance on CIT money could force the county to delay other projects and undercut the Rays’ “Do No Harm” argument.

Tampa Council Member Charlie Miranda has also raised concerns, saying he wants more detail on the site plan, traffic, costs, Hillsborough College’s role and whether the surrounding entertainment district will actually be built.

Castor, meanwhile, has urged residents to view the MOU as an early step rather than a final contract. In a Monday newsletter, she described the agreement as “less like a contract and more like a handshake with a witness,” adding that “nobody is writing checks yet.”

Local officials are expected to take up the MOU this week, starting with Hillsborough County on Wednesday and the Tampa City Council on Thursday.

Content shared in partnership with Florida Politics.