John Romano: Did Ron DeSantis just become the Rays MVP on the stadium project?

TAMPA, Fla. — So, just to be clear, there was no real news in Tuesday morning’s news conference.

No clarification on where the money might be coming from for a Rays stadium in Tampa. No dollar amount on what it will cost to rebuild the Hillsborough College campus or how much that land is worth. No explanation of a suggested $34 billion economic impact on the community.

There was, however, a message.

An unmistakable, potentially game-changing, message.

Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has had a sometimes contentious relationship with the Rays — was clear that he would like the team to remain in Tampa Bay and that he supports the idea of a public-private partnership at the Dale Mabry campus.

And that could be a huge factor in providing cover for the Republican-majority Hillsborough County Commission when it comes time to vote on funding measures for stadium construction. Even fiscally conservative members of the commission will be able to tell constituents that the governor was onboard.

“It’s immeasurable,” commission chair Ken Hagan said, when I asked how DeSantis’ support would play with local officials. “I’ve been engaged in this for 16 years. You’ve been engaged even longer. This is the first time that I can remember that a governor has shown public support for a new ballpark.

“And that goes a long way.”

Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred offered a similar observation to Tampa Bay Times reporter Marc Topkin.

“I think the level of support for the concept they’re dealing with here is really, really high compared to some of the other efforts,” Manfred said. “The community, the government. When was the last time you saw the governor show up to say, ‘I think this is a good idea.’”

For the record, then-Gov. Charlie Crist threw his support behind a Rays stadium project at the Al Lang Stadium site in 2007 that eventually fizzled due to neighborhood concerns and a waterfront referendum requirement.

DeSantis, on the other hand, had mostly stayed out of the picture as previous Rays owner Stuart Sternberg explored stadium possibilities in numerous locations around Tampa Bay the past decade. When Pasco County lawmakers approved a $35 million expenditure in the state budget for a youth baseball complex that would have included a new Rays spring training facility in 2022, DeSantis killed the plan with a veto.

At the time, he said he did not want to spend state money on stadiums and also suggested he wasn’t interested in helping a private business engaged in “political activism.” That appeared to be a jab at the team’s support for gun control after a series of mass shootings.

So why is DeSantis suddenly enthusiastic about a baseball stadium concept?

There could be any number of reasons, but it likely helps that new owner Patrick Zalupski has made multiple donations to DeSantis campaigns, including $250,000 to a super PAC for an aborted presidential bid.

As for the idea of using state money to help build a stadium — which DeSantis has adamantly refused to do in the past — the governor continued to say there would be no money coming out of Tallahassee for construction.

But that’s a little disingenuous. By putting his thumb on the scale, DeSantis convinced Hillsborough College trustees to go through with the team’s plan to build on the 113-acre campus. Under the memo of understanding between the team and college, the Rays would lease the land from the state to build the stadium as part of a mixed-used development while the college would be rebuilt on a smaller plot of land.

So, in essence, the governor is giving up state land for free while also spending tens of millions to rebuild a college campus. Not to mention millions more for infrastructure like roads and sewer.

“If this vision comes into reality (the land) would be worth a lot, a heck of a lot more,” DeSantis said. “How does that benefit the community, apart from being able to take your family there, have events there, apart from what the Rays are doing, to shop, go to dinner?

“It obviously is going to help the economy without question.”

The crux of the team’s pitch for what is expected to be $1 billion or more in public funds is that the development will eventually pay for itself with sales taxes and other fees or surcharges in the new development. Hagan said Tuesday that he does not think a rental car surcharge is likely.

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said the governor’s endorsement and the idea of “new revenue streams” will have an effect when local leaders have to make the tough call of committing public funds to the project.

“Of course, that makes it easier,” Castor said. “If there’s an outside funding stream, then it definitely makes it easier to make that decision on building the stadium and then the infrastructure that goes with it.”

So is the governor’s newfound support the missing piece in a quest that has spanned decades?

“I feel extremely positive,” Hagan said. “Again, the fact that for the first time the governor has come out in support of this ballpark project … we’ve never had that before.

“Now, I’ll also say the devil is in the details, and we haven’t really gotten to a framework where we can start to share what the split would be, how the public funding would be utilized. So that’s when I’m sure we’ll have intense discussions. But I’ve never felt as confident as I am right now.”

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