TAMPA, FL – As conversations continue around how to finance a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium, mayoral candidate Taryn Sabia is introducing a new approach that shifts the focus from taxpayer burden to community ownership. In a newly released proposal, Sabia outlines a model to create a publicly traded, regionally owned stadium entity that would allow Tampa Bay residents, businesses, and local institutions to invest directly in the project. The proposal centers on the creation of a Tampa Bay Regional Stadium Entity, or TBRSE, a structure where the Rays retain majority control while opening a significant ownership stake to the public through local investment opportunities and public markets. A publicly traded framework that enhances transparency, allows for shared investment, and ties financial performance to real, measurable outcomes allows fans to be shareholders, not just spectators. “We keep coming back to the same question about who should pay for a stadium,” said Sabia. “The better question is who should own it? Reframing the problem allows us to solve for it differently.”  Under this model, public funding would be directed toward infrastructure such as transportation, roads, and stormwater improvements rather than toward the stadium itself. This approach aligns public investment with long-term community needs while reducing reliance on public funding sources for the stadium that have raised concerns among local leaders.  The concept draws from the successful example in another notable market, The Battery Atlanta. Atlanta Braves Holdings operates within a publicly traded framework and demonstrates how publicly traded ownership creates investor

TAMPA, FL — Taryn Sabia’s campaign for Tampa Mayor is off to a strong start, raising more than $20,000 in just 29 days from 114 unique donors, an early show of broad, grassroots support from across the community. The early fundraising success underscores the growing momentum behind Sabia’s campaign and her message that Tampa needs a fresh, shared vision, one that prioritizes people over politics and delivers real solutions to the affordability crisis facing working families. “I’m running for Mayor because the same problems we were talking about 20 years ago are still here and in many cases, they’ve only gotten worse,” said Taryn Sabia. “Families are being squeezed by rising housing costs, long commutes, and a city that too often feels like it’s being shaped without them. Tampa’s problems won’t be solved by the old playbook. They’ll be solved by bringing the community into the conversation and building solutions together.” Sabia, an urban designer, educator, and mom of two, has spent more than two decades working with cities across the country to plan for smart growth, affordable housing, and transportation solutions. Her campaign is focused on lowering everyday costs, improving transit options, supporting small businesses, and ensuring Tampa’s growth reflects the needs of its residents, not just special interests. While Sabia’s campaign is powered by grassroots donors, recent fundraising reports from former Mayor Bob Buckhorn tell a different story. In a recent statement, Buckhorn said his campaign is about “neighbors coming together around a shared vision… where every neighborhood