New Rays owners introduced, pledge to build new stadium in Tampa Bay
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The new ownership group of the Tampa Bay Rays intends to keep the team playing in St. Petersburg, at least for now, while exploring potential sites around Tampa Bay for a permanent stadium.
On Tuesday morning at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the team’s new leadership, Managing Partner and Co-Chair Patrick Zalupski, Co-Chair Bill Cosgrove, and Chief Executive Officer Ken Babby, outlined their long-term vision to a room filled with reporters, former team executives, and public officials from both sides of the bay.
“It’s no secret that we need a new, forever home to secure the Rays’ long-term future in Tampa Bay, and delivering upon that objective will be our first priority,” said Zalupski, CEO of Jacksonville-based Dream Finders Homes Inc. “Our goal is to have a new world-class ballpark ready for opening day 2029.”
Under their current lease agreement, the Rays are required to play at Tropicana Field for three more seasons.
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A new training center near the EDGE District wants to give runners and cyclists a reason to stick around after their workouts.
Orange Belt Collective is targeting a spring 2027 opening at 1501 Burlington Avenue North, combining endurance-focused fitness spaces with a public café, a grab-and-go market, and an outdoor gathering area.
For founders Michael Rideout and Nathan Stonecipher, the idea grew out of the CRIT Championship Tour, a bicycle race they helped bring to the EDGE District in 2023.
A group ride associated with the event brought hundreds of cyclists from different clubs, bike shops, and generations to Green Bench Brewing, filling Baum Avenue with bikes.
Afterward, people hung around to talk with riders they might otherwise have never met.
For Rideout, it was a welcome departure from the usual routine, when cyclists finish a group ride and head their separate ways.