By the slimmest possible margin, the Tampa City Council voted 4-3 on Thursday to commit public dollars toward a $2.3 billion stadium and mixed-use development intended to lure the Tampa Bay Rays to a new home at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.

Council Chair Alan Clendenin and members Bill Carlson, Luis Viera and Naya Young voted in favor. Charlie Miranda, Guido Maniscalco and Lynn Hurtak voted against — a three-vote bloc that argued the deal was being rushed and that taxpayers were being asked to shoulder risk that belongs to a billionaire-owned sports franchise.

Under the latest version of the agreement, roughly $876 million in direct public contributions would flow into the project, with Hillsborough County covering the bulk — about $796 million — and the city of Tampa on the hook for $80 million, paid out in four $20 million installments. The Rays would contribute approximately $1.37 billion and would be responsible for any construction cost overruns, a provision city officials touted as a taxpayer protection.

Notably, the plan does not draw on the city’s Community Investment Tax fund, a change Carlson said was essential to winning his vote. “I was against using CIT money because I didn’t want money taken away from fire trucks, police cars and other projects,” Carlson said. “That was the first thing we took off the table.”

In its place, the deal relies on a tax increment financing district built around the stadium site, which would capture new property tax revenue generated by future development — including planned restaurants, residences and retail — to pay back the city’s $80 million commitment plus an additional $100 million loan from the Rays. Whether that projected growth materializes as promised remains to be seen; TIF districts depend on real estate appreciation that isn’t guaranteed, and taxpayers ultimately backstop the arrangement if it falls short.

The public hearing stretched for hours, drawing sharply divided testimony. Supporters pointed to promised economic activity and improvements to Hillsborough College. Opponents pushed back hard on the underlying premise, with one speaker telling council members bluntly that “billionaires should be paying for their own stadiums” and warning that the deal’s consequences would outlast the current council’s tenure.

Under the use agreement, Hillsborough County would own the stadium outright, with the Rays paying $4 million annually in rent over an initial 35-year term. The team is targeting a 2029 opening.

Thursday’s vote sets up a critical follow-on decision: the Hillsborough County Commission is scheduled to vote Friday morning on its far larger share of the deal. If county commissioners sign off, the project moves toward bond validation and, eventually, groundbreaking — closing out a stadium saga that has dragged on for roughly two decades and has already seen the city’s contribution shrink by about $100 million since a non-binding memorandum of understanding was reached in May.

Rays CEO Ken Babby praised the council’s action in a statement, calling it “incredible news for the entire Tampa Bay community” and crediting council members’ “leadership and support” in securing the franchise’s future in the region.

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