Talks between Hillsborough County leaders and the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team will not be held in public in order to shield the team’s thinking about possible stadium sites and protect its negotiating position.
County Commissioner Ken Hagan, who is part of a committee holding talks with the Rays, said he will try to make the deliberations as transparent as possible. That will include monthly updates Hagan promised to give the rest of the commission.
“This group will be as open and transparent as practical,” Hagan said. “But we won’t negotiate in public. That would have a disastrous impact on land acquisition” and create problems between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, both of which want to be the permanent home for the major league team.