The Tampa Bay Rays are ready to begin their courtship with Hillsborough County.

Rays officials are set to meet with a group of Hillsborough County leaders on Friday. The group includes Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Tampa Sports Authority President Eric Hart and others.

While no decisions will be made today, the get together is an important meet and greet for both sides.

Hillsborough officials will get a better idea of exactly what the team is looking for.

According to documents released by the Rays, the club is searching for about 20 acres that can offer:

• Potential for more development.

• Regional connectivity.

• Site accessibility.

• Size and geometry.

• Financial feasibility and development readiness

"This is like a first date," Buckhorn said. "I don’t think there will be any hand holding, this is more of a get to know you. We need to know from them what they’re looking for, what the expectation is of local government and the community, hopefully we can get into some details about the size of the stadium and what the stadium might look like, how much land is necessary, what the process is moving forward, but this really is a very preliminary meeting."

So the main questions that remain is where will they go, how much will it cost and who will pay for it?

The answers to the financial questions will come later. In the meantime, team, city and county officials will take a longer look at sites like the Florida State Fairgrounds, the Tampa Greyhound track, the ConAgra flour mill site in downtown Tampa and particularly the Tampa Park Apartments complex on Nuccio parkway between Ybor City and downtown Tampa.

Hagan said a site on the Tampa side is in the best interest of the team and the community.
 
"I just firmly believe that in order for them to stay Hillsborough County offers them the best chance to have long term success in our community," Hagan said. "Currently the model in St. Pete at Tropicana Field has been a failed model and if they’re going to remain in Tampa Bay, which is our goal, we’re going to have to find a different model that works."