The St. Petersburg, Fla., city council has approved replacement of the Tropicana Field roof, which was destroyed by Hurricane Milton in 2024, in a 7-1 vote Thursday. The city is contractually obligated to return the stadium to “playable” status for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The details, via the Tampa Bay Times:
“The city will spend $22.5 million for a new teflon-coated fiberglass roof, made of the same material as the original. It’s about half of the total estimated cost to fix the stadium, tallied in November at $55.7 million.”
“I’d much rather be spending that money on hurricane recovery and helping residents in our most affected neighborhoods,” council member Brandi Gabbard said, according to the Times, “but this is our obligation.”
The Rays are playing their home games for the 2025 season in nearby Tampa at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training venue of the division-rival New York Yankees and the Single-A Tampa Tarpons’ stadium. That, however, is a temporary solution for the 2025 season only. The city council’s approval of the Tropicana Field roof repairs sets the stage for the Rays’ 2026 return to the stadium at which they’ve spent their entire existence.
The backdrop, however, is that the Rays and multiple local officials and governing bodies have long been at loggerheads over construction of a new ballpark for the club and how much of the associated costs would be publicly financed. The path toward a resolution has been meandering and tortuous, and at last check the club claimed an unwillingness to move forward with the latest stadium deal. This, among other potential consequences, raises the possibility of relocation of the club.
For now, though, it seems that the Rays will be back at Tropicana Field for the 2026 season at least.
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