“It’s a Done Deal: The Rays Have Found a Forever Home” This is Something to Think About 08.31.26
Something to Think About
Audio By Carbonatix
“It’s a Done Deal: The Rays Have Found a Forever Home”
Bill Bunkley’s “This Is Something to Think About
Air Date Monday, August 31, 2026
After decades of attempting to secure the Tampa Bay Rays, the dream has come true. The Tampa Bay Rays have Tampa as their “forever home.”
On Thursday, the Tampa City Council approved a Rays stadium deal by a 5-to-4 vote; on Friday, the Hillsborough County Commission approved the deal by a 5-to-2 vote.
It’s a done deal!
The sports complex, with the stadium, hotels, restaurants, shops, a new home for Hillsborough College, and long-overdue Drew Park upgrades, will be a significant economic boost.
Three people come to mind: Frank Morsani, who began Tampa’s quest for a team back in 1982; Hillsborough Commissioner Ken Hagen, who fought for years to bring the Rays to Tampa; and Rays President Ken Babby, who never wavered on his vision to bring the Rays to Tampa.
It’s a great day in Tampa.
Bill Bunkley is a 20-year veteran Salem Media talk show host based in Tampa. The Bill Bunkley Show airs on weekdays from 3 to 5 pm across central Florida. Bill is also President of the Florida Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission and the legislative consultant to the Florida Baptist State Convention (Southern Baptist Convention Churches), among other churches and entities. He has served as the legislative consultant to the Florida Baptist State Convention for the last 30 years at the state capitol in Tallahassee. By the Grace of his Lord Jesus, he is a cancer survivor diagnosed in 2018 with AML Leukemia, having successfully undergone a bone marrow transplant that same year. In 2025, he underwent successful open-heart surgery to repair a heart valve. His wife is Toni, his son is Zac, and he attends Idlewild Baptist Church.
Copyright © William H. (Bill) Bunkley 2026 All Rights Reserved
