When the Tampa Bay Rays finally received permission to search for a new stadium site in Hillsborough County, the team selected a sparsely developed area between Channelside and Ybor City.
With a good, central site chosen, the Rays then put their faith in the local business community and the infamous Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan to assemble the parcels of land on the team’s behalf.
After three years, efforts to assemble the land required for a new stadium failed, and the key players were well short of raising the needed $970 million. It seems that neither the business leaders nor the County Commissioner actually had the juice to pull off this complex and expensive deal.