Florida’s Governor just drew a line in the sand that could change the fate of Major League Baseball in the Sunshine State.
One MLB team’s future is hanging in the balance after months of uncertainty.
And Ron DeSantis dropped a bombshell about the Tampa Bay Rays that has MLB executives scrambling.
DeSantis makes MLB officials nervous with his stadium funding declaration
The Tampa Bay Rays have been in limbo since Hurricane Milton ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in October 2024, forcing the team to temporarily relocate to Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field for the 2025 season.
But the stadium problems for the Rays go far beyond storm damage.
For years, Rays ownership led by Stuart Sternberg has been searching for a modern facility to boost attendance and revenue.
This search included talks with officials in St. Petersburg and Hillsborough County, and even a failed plan to split the season between Florida and Montreal.
In 2023, the Rays, the city of St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County announced a hard-fought agreement to build a $1.3 billion stadium as part of a massive $6.5 billion redevelopment project.
However, the team unexpectedly pulled out of the deal in March 2025, seemingly burning bridges with city officials.
Now, Governor Ron DeSantis has made it clear where the state stands on any future stadium plans.
“We are not taking your tax dollars to do any stadiums at the state level. It’s just not going to happen,” DeSantis declared at a press conference in Apopka.
The governor’s firm stance against state funding for stadium construction puts pressure on MLB and the Rays to find alternative solutions.
MLB wants the Rays to stay in Florida
Despite the stadium funding challenges, DeSantis revealed that Major League Baseball has told him the Tampa Bay Rays will not be permitted to leave Florida.
“I think they understand that this is the fastest-growing state,” DeSantis explained. “It’s the third-largest state in the country. To have a major-league team leave, like, that’s not something we want, obviously, but actually it is bad for the league.”
DeSantis, who last spoke with MLB officials a “couple months” ago, noted that leaving Florida would make “baseball look poorly that they couldn’t hack it in really big markets.”
While the governor won’t commit state funds to stadium construction, he indicated that the state could assist with related infrastructure.
“We help with roads and exits and some stuff like that, but that’s the proper role of government,” he said. “So, I think we’ll be helpful within the confines of what’s appropriate for taxpayers to be doing, but it will not involve, at our level, giving money for the construction of a stadium.”
Orlando emerges as potential new home for baseball
The governor’s comments should encourage the Orlando Dreamers group, which claims to have $1.5 billion committed to team ownership and another $1 billion for a stadium.
While the Dreamers say they’re not specifically targeting the Rays, they’re open to acquiring any team through relocation or expansion.
“If someone buys the team and they want to build a nice new stadium, they can work with whatever local city and county if they want,” DeSantis stated.
The Rays are contractually obligated to play in St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field through the 2028 season.
St. Petersburg is currently funding repairs to the Trop that should be complete by the 2026 season.
DeSantis remained neutral on where in Florida the team should play.
“Obviously, the Tampa Bay area has had it for a long time, and I’ve told people, I’m not saying it should be in St. Pete, Tampa, Orlando, or any of that. My job as governor: If I can be helpful to keep it in Florida, then I’m going to do that,” he said.
New ownership could be the key to the Rays’ future
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has repeatedly stated his commitment to making baseball work in the Tampa Bay area and wants Sternberg to develop a “go-forward plan” for a stadium in the region.
However, DeSantis suggested that different ownership might improve the Rays’ long-term prospects in Central Florida.
“Now, the Rays do need a new stadium. I think everybody understands that. I know that the current owner basically does not have a path forward in Pinellas County. I think the goal would be, if there’s a new owner, to then have an ability to do a stadium in a place that would be economically viable,” he said. “And I think you can do it. I absolutely think it can work.”
DeSantis pointed to the success of Florida’s NHL teams as evidence that sports can thrive in the state with the right ownership and location.
“You know, we’ve now become the hockey capital of the world in the state of Florida,” DeSantis said. “I mean, it’s incredible.”
The Tampa Bay Lightning have sold out more than 400 consecutive home games at Tampa’s Amalie Arena and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.
The Florida Panthers, based in Broward County, won the Cup in 2024 and have advanced to the finals again this year.
“What’s happened is, as someone that grew up in the Tampa Bay area, there were probably 10 times more baseball fans than hockey fans when I was a kid,” DeSantis said. “And yet those hockey games do very well because, one, I think they had an owner that leaned in and really wanted to make this part of the community. Two, it was in an area where there’s other things to do, so it was kind of like the place to be, and people would want to go, even if they weren’t huge hockey fans.”
While Rays ownership maintains the team is not for sale, at least three Tampa-area groups have reportedly expressed interest in purchasing the franchise and keeping it in the Bay area.
“You know, I’ve been being told for years that the Rays were likely to be sold soon, and it hasn’t really happened,” DeSantis said. “You know, maybe we’re getting closer to that now, but I’m confident that the team’s not going to leave Florida.”
The Rays’ future remains uncertain, but DeSantis’ firm stance on state funding and MLB’s desire to keep the team in Florida sets clear parameters for any solution that emerges.
