The Hillsborough County Commissioner has been at the forefront of the effort to bring the Rays to Tampa for almost two decades.
Why is the project — the largest but most elusive of his political career — so important to him? And what is his relationship with the ownership group like?
Here's a close look.
Meanwhile, a Tampa City Council vote last month blocked the first step in a land-use change for the Rays’ proposed stadium site. The team is trying again.
