Hillsborough voters flipped the board. The old one votes on the Rays' sales tax Tuesday

The board changed, but not before the vote

Hillsborough voters gave the county commission a 4-3 Democratic majority on Nov. 3, but the new members are not sworn in until Nov. 17. Harry Cohen, who supports the stadium, was reelected; Joshua Wostal, one of the two votes against the deal in August, lost.

Why it matters: The county's half-cent sales tax pays for roads and public buildings in Hillsborough. Tuesday's vote decides whether it also pays toward the Rays' new Tampa ballpark. The deal takes up to $360 million from that tax in four $90 million payments, with the first wanted this year. One newcomer on the next board says he is "generally not a fan" of using the tax for the stadium.

The story so far: On Aug. 28 the commission voted 5-2 to approve the deal for the Rays' $2.3 billion ballpark. The county's share is about $796 million.

What's new: Democrats won all four commission seats on the ballot Nov. 3, the county's unofficial results show. Two of those wins took countywide seats Republicans held, so the seven-member board will have four Democrats and three Republicans.

What's next: Tuesday, Nov. 10, the hearing and vote.

How the vote landed before the swearing-in

At an Oct. 13 meeting, Hagan asked to move the required hearing on using county sales tax for the stadium, the Tampa Bay Times reported. That undid a move by Commissioner Joshua Wostal to hold it in the evening in the unincorporated county. County Attorney Julia Mandell said most commissioners were not available before November, and the next open day was after Nov. 5.

Hagan wanted the hearing on Nov. 10, at a regular meeting. He said the commission has aimed to vote on big issues before the board changes. "Yes, it's after the election, but it's with the current board," he said. His motion passed 5-2, with Wostal and Commissioner Donna Cameron Cepeda voting no.

The county lists the swearing-in of new and reelected commissioners for Tuesday, Nov. 17, with the organizational meeting after it. So the outgoing board, Wostal and Cameron Cepeda included, holds Tuesday's vote.

What the board decides Tuesday

The deal approved in August asks for $360 million from the Community Investment Tax, the county's half-cent sales tax for roads and public buildings, the Times reported. The funding agreement caps that share at $360 million, paid in four $90 million installments. The first comes at closing and the rest on Oct. 1 of 2027, 2028 and 2029, or at closing if later.

At least four commissioners must attend the hearing, and they vote right after it, the Times reported. The stadium is being added to the tax's project list after the budget year began on Oct. 1 because commissioners want to pay the first $90 million this year.

After public comment, commissioners must vote to add the stadium to the list of sales-tax projects. A bond-validation resolution cannot go on an agenda until that hearing is held, the Times reported. The new board will then handle the next pieces, including the community benefits agreement and that resolution.

"I think we are beyond the point of no return on this deal," Commissioner Harry Cohen told FOX 13. "Now, that doesn't mean that individual commissioners may not vote against certain items moving forward."

Who won, and where they stand

Neil Manimala, a Democratic urologist, won a countywide seat with 54.86% to 45.14% over Stacy Hahn, a Republican school board member, the county's unofficial count shows. Hahn had beaten Cameron Cepeda in the August primary. Manimala has said he wants to keep the Rays but is "generally not a fan" of using the sales tax for the stadium. "My constituency is not the Tampa Bay Rays. It's the people of Hillsborough County," he told the Times.

Aileen Rodriguez, a Democratic public affairs executive, unseated Wostal with 56.21% to 43.79%. She once was regional director for former Republican U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez. She said she is "cautiously optimistic" a way to fund the stadium can be found and does not want to "rob Peter to pay Paul."

Cohen, a Democrat who supports the stadium, was reelected with 55.67%. Commissioner Gwen Myers, a Democrat, won with 72.44%. Both voted for the deal in August.

Wostal, a Republican, "has been a consistent no vote," the Times reported. In August he told a forum: "It is only me standing in between you and the rich and the powerful of getting $2 billion of your money."

The commission last had a Democratic majority four years ago, the Times reported. Voters also passed a charter change, with 51.72% in the unofficial count, that grows the board to nine seats and ends countywide seats. All seats are on the ballot in November 2028, so Manimala and Rodriguez would run again in two years in a district.

The owners' money

The Rays' owners and their companies have given at least $140,000 combined to Myers, Cohen and Wostal since the team's sale, Axios reported in October. After Cameron Cepeda spoke against the stadium at an April 16 workshop, more than $40,000 flowed to Hahn, Axios reported. Homes by WestBay, the company of Rays limited partner Willy Nunn, gave Wostal's committee $50,000 on Oct. 2, months after he voted against the deal.

Rays chief executive Ken Babby gave $5,000 to a committee tied to Hahn, the Times reported. "I was offended by the thought that the donation would buy my vote," Hahn said. No record ties any gift to any vote.

Who's who

Ken Hagan chairs the Hillsborough County Commission and has served on it since 2002. Patrick Zalupski, founder and chief executive of the Jacksonville home builder Dream Finders Homes, is the Rays' control person and co-chair. Bill Cosgrove is the other co-chair, and Ken Babby is the team's chief executive. Donna Cameron Cepeda, a Republican, lost her primary and leaves the board Nov. 17.

Their side

Zalupski called the August approval "an extraordinary milestone." "Forever," he said, "starts now." Hagan said the August vote "marks a monumental step toward securing a forever home for the Tampa Bay Rays," the county's release said. Wostal said he is "very proud to have bipartisan financial support from across the private sector." The Rays declined to comment to Axios on the owners' giving, and we found no team comment on Tuesday's vote.

What's next

What's next: Tuesday, Nov. 10, the hearing and vote. On Tuesday, Nov. 17, the new board is sworn in. The ballpark's license and use agreement, community benefits agreement and construction trust agreement still await the board's approval. The county expects the ballpark to open in April 2029.

Sources we read

Hillsborough County Supervisor of Elections, unofficial results, Nov. 3. Hillsborough County: the investiture listing for Nov. 17 and the Aug. 28 release. The stadium development and funding agreement, as posted by WFLA. Tampa Bay Times (Lizzy Alspach), Nov. 3, Nov. 5 and Oct. 13; Tampa Bay Times, Oct. 7, Aug. 27 and Aug. 28. FOX 13, Oct. 16. Apollo Beach-Ruskin Tribune, Nov. 3. Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Nov. 3. WUSF, Aug. 23. Axios Tampa Bay, Oct. 13, read in an archived copy. The Rays' Sept. 30, 2025 release on the team's sale.