Stadium news and links: Both counties focus on a new Rays stadium

The MLB Owners lockout of players during negotiations for the next Collective Bargaining Agreement continues, which means Spring Training is now unlikely to start on time, which will potentially delay the season. Despite that dire outlook, there is some Rays news! And most of it stadium related:

• This morning we published a report that Hillsborough County is projected to have $194 million available for a Rays stadium, given current tax structures. The article lays out where another $300 million could come from in the future.
• The Rays are getting serious about moving Spring Training to Pasco County. This news comes from a report in the Times after reviewing an executive summary document that compiled two consultant reports on a Tampa Stadium project, which verified the cost for a new ballpark has not changed since the failed Ybor proposal:

A stadium with a capacity of 27,000 fans — 24,000 fixed seats, 1,500 berm seats and 2,500 standing-room-only spots — at a cost of $799 million. The figure would rise $90 million to $160 million with the addition of a roof.

• St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has brought the downtown waterfront Albert Whitted Airport to the center of the Rays stadium conversation following a meeting with the Rays last week, but there will be hurdles to propose the site for any redevelopment.