St. Petersburg City Council has approved a $22.5m (£17.3m/€20.4m) funding package to replace the roof of Tropicana Field, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Milton last year leading to the Tampa Bay Rays needing a temporary home for the 2025 MLB season.
The Rays are spending the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa after Tropicana Field suffered major damage during Hurricane Milton in October. Tropicana Field is owned by the City of St. Petersburg, which appointed Hennessy Construction Services to conduct a Facility Damage Assessment and Remediation Report following the hurricane.
The report found that Tropicana Field could be repaired at a total cost of around $55.7m ahead of the 2026 MLB season. Hurricane Milton blew large parts of Tropicana Field’s roof away, but the report by Hennessy Construction Services concluded that the primary roof structure “does not appear to have been adversely affected”.
Yesterday’s (Thursday’s) 7-1 Council vote is for the major part of the repair job, a new teflon-coated fiberglass roof, made of the same material as the original. AECOM Hunt, which originally built Tropicana Field 35 years ago, will partner with Hennessy on the roof project, which will be designed to current building codes and could withstand 165 mph winds.
The City is obligated to make the stadium playable again, under its lease deal with the Rays. The Tampa Bay Times said the Rays are expected to play home games back at Tropicana Field next yearthrough the 2028 season.
Council member Brandi Gabbard said: “I’d much rather be spending that money on hurricane recovery and helping residents in our most affected neighbourhoods, but this is our obligation.”
The Council initially voted in November to replace the roof, only for Rays president Brian Auld to state the team would have preferred a settlement on its lease contract amid doubts repair work could be completed in time for next season.
This caused the Council to call back its vote, at which point the Rays changed their stance on the matter. “We are pleased to see City Council take this important step toward preparing Tropicana Field for Major League Baseball in time for 2026 Opening Day,” Auld said yesterday. “We commend in particular City, Rays, and MLB staff for their cooperative efforts to get us to this point.”
The Rays’ move to Tampa comes amid uncertainty over the long-term future for the franchise after the team last month dropped plans to develop a new ballpark in St. Petersburg.
Stuart Sternberg, principal owner of the Rays, made the announcement ahead of a March 31 deadline for the team to meet certain requirements that would have moved the project forwards. The team’s decision means the ballpark plan has been terminated.
