The St. Petersburg City Council voted Thursday to spend more than $23 million to repair the hurricane-shredded roof of Tropicana Field, with the goal of having the home of the Tampa Bay Rays ready for the 2026 season. The vote followed a decision earlier this week by the Pinellas County Commission to delay until December a vote on revenue bonds to finance a new, $1.3 billion Rays ballpark, the AP reports, a project that Rays executives say is in serious jeopardy.
"I can't say I'm confident about anything," Rays Co-President Brian Auld told the council members, who were scheduled later Thursday to vote on their own bonds to pay their share of the new stadium. The translucent fiberglass roof was ripped to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton swept ashore just south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with a city estimate of the total repair costs pegged at $55.7 million. The repairs cannot be finished before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays made a deal with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York's spring training home across the bay in Tampa.
The 4-3 vote Thursday was to get moving on the roof. Once that's repaired, crews could begin working on laying down a new baseball field, fixing damaged seating and office areas and a variety of electronic systems—which would require another vote on funding the remaining restoration. The city previously voted to spend $6.5 million to prevent further damage to the unroofed stadium. Several council members said before the vote on the $23.7 million to fix the roof that the city is contractually obligated to do so. Council members who opposed it said there wasn't enough clarify on numerous issues, including how much would be covered by the ballpark's insurance and what amount might be provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. They also noted that city residents struggling to repair their homes and businesses damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton are dismayed when they see so much taxpayer money going to baseball.
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