"St. Pete Authorities Greenlight $22.5M for Tropicana Field Roof Replacement"
The municipal assembly in St. Petersburg, Florida, made a decision on Thursday to replace the roof of Tropicana Field, which was demolished by Hurricane Milton in October.
The city of St. Petersburg is the owner of the stadium and is legally bound to provide the Tampa Bay Rays with a suitable home. The new roof, made of Teflon-coated fiberglass, will cost the city $22.5 million.
The council members voted 7-1 in favor of the project.
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\"I would prefer to use that money for hurricane recovery and assisting residents in the most affected neighborhoods,\" stated council member Brandi Gabbard to the Tampa Bay Times, \"but it is our responsibility.\"
The Rays are expected to return to the indoor facility for the 2026 season.
The damages to Tropicana Field occurred during an ongoing dispute between Rays ownership and local government regarding the future of the team in the Tampa Bay area. The Rays wanted to construct a new ballpark with a price tag of $1.3 billion, and local officials had approved the sale of bonds to cover their portion of the cost. However, the Rays were unable to move forward due to delays and cost overruns.
In the meantime, the Rays will be playing the 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of their American League East rivals, the New York Yankees.
