Hillsborough County commissioners voted on Wednesday to designate Tampa Sports Authority to be the lead agency to negotiate with the Tampa Bay Rays.
"Time is of the essence," said Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. "We do not have the luxury of another four to five years before decisions are made on the Rays future."
Presently, the Rays are under contract to stay at Tropicana Field until 2027. But Hillsborough commissioners are hoping a deal will be reached that will allow the Rays to look at locations across the bridge.
"I am cautiously optimistic that the time is very near," Hagan said. "The message that we want to send today to Major League Baseball and the Rays is that Hillsborough County is ready, and we're ready to hit the ground running when that time comes and I am hopeful that is imminent."
During Wednesday's meeting, commissioners also agreed on a small working group that will scout out locations, sources of funding, and work on any possible agreement with the Rays.
The group will include Commissioner Ken Hagan, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and the head of Tampa Sports Authority Eric Hart. A member of the private sector will also be a part of that group. No word yet on what that might be.
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman would not comment on Hillsborough's new working group.