Raymond James Stadium is owned by Hillsborough County, Florida. The county holds legal title to the land and the building, which were paid for with public tax dollars in the late 1990s. The Tampa Sports Authority, a public agency, operates the stadium on the county’s behalf, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play there as tenants under a lease that runs through 2028.1Hillsborough County, FL. Community Investment Tax
The Tampa Sports Authority Runs It for the County
Owning the stadium and operating it are two different jobs, and they belong to two different public bodies. Hillsborough County’s own budget documents describe Raymond James Stadium as “a facility owned by Hillsborough County.”1Hillsborough County, FL. Community Investment Tax The county does not handle day-to-day management itself. That falls to the Tampa Sports Authority, which the county government’s website says “operates Raymond James Stadium” on its behalf.2Hillsborough County, FL. Tampa Sports Authority
The TSA was created in 1965 by Chapter 65-2307 of the Laws of Florida as an independent special district, charged with planning, developing, and maintaining sports and recreational facilities in Tampa and Hillsborough County. The stadium is its highest-profile responsibility, but the agency also manages three city golf courses, a county tournament sportsplex, and other venues.3Tampa Sports Authority. About Tampa Sports Authority So when you see the TSA signing contracts, running events, or negotiating with the Buccaneers, it is acting as the county’s manager, not as a separate owner.
Why the County Owns It: Public Money Built It
The stadium is publicly owned because the public paid for it. In September 1996, Hillsborough County voters approved the Community Investment Tax, a half-cent sales tax designed to fund local infrastructure over 30 years. A share of that revenue built Raymond James Stadium, which opened in 1998. Because the money came from taxpayers, the county kept title to the finished building rather than transferring it to a private party. The TSA still receives roughly $9 million a year from the CIT to cover stadium debt service.1Hillsborough County, FL. Community Investment Tax
The original tax was set to expire on November 30, 2026. Voters renewed it on November 5, 2024, extending the half-cent sales tax through December 31, 2041, with revenue continuing to go to transportation, public works, public safety, public facilities, utilities, and schools, shared among the county, municipalities, and the school board.1Hillsborough County, FL. Community Investment Tax The renewal keeps the funding stream that has supported the stadium since construction.
The Buccaneers Are Tenants, Not Owners
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers do not own any part of Raymond James Stadium. The team plays there under a lease with the Tampa Sports Authority. The formal lessee is the Buccaneers Stadium Limited Partnership rather than the NFL franchise itself, and the lease grants the right to use the stadium for NFL games and Buccaneers-related events under set terms.4Marquette University Law School. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Lease Summary
The current lease expires in 2028. The team must notify the TSA by January 31, 2027, if it wants to activate the first of four five-year extension options. That first extension would double the annual rent to $7 million and would also trigger the remaining options, potentially keeping the Buccaneers at the facility through 2048.
Raymond James Financial Only Buys the Name
The name on the building causes most of the confusion. Raymond James Financial, a St. Petersburg investment firm, does not own the stadium. The company pays for naming rights through a sponsorship contract. The original deal began in 1998 and was reportedly worth about $13.2 million over 13 years, and the partnership has since been extended twice, making it the second-longest continuous active stadium naming rights deal in the NFL.5Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Buccaneers Announce Stadium Naming Rights Extension The current agreement keeps the Raymond James name on the stadium through the 2027 season.6Raymond James Stadium. About RJS After that, naming rights revert to the owner unless a new deal is signed.
What Could Change After 2027
Ownership is not on the table right now, but the arrangement around it is in motion. The stadium opened in 1998 and went through a significant renovation between 2016 and 2018. The Buccaneers are now pushing for another major overhaul, with industry estimates placing the potential price tag near $1 billion. Because the county owns the building, the TSA manages it, and the Buccaneers lease it, any renovation deal needs all three parties to agree on cost sharing, and the share of public money involved will be a political question. The team’s January 2027 lease-extension deadline gives it leverage, since the franchise could in theory look elsewhere when the lease expires in 2028. For now, though, Hillsborough County is the owner, the TSA is the operator, and the Buccaneers are the tenant.