Tropicana Field repairs continue after the stadium’s $22.5 million roof was successfully installed | St Pete Rising

A newly completed white dome now crowns Tropicana Field, gleaming in the sun.

Inside, more than 200 workers are stretching the fabric roof, sealing seams, and moving into the next phase of repairs.

“The roof is back on. They are still doing some of the seaming and the final sealing, but in essence, the building is dried in,” said Beth Herendeen, Managing Director of City Development for St. Petersburg, during a media tour on Wednesday. “We have no concern about being open or ready for Opening Day on April 6th, 2026.”

Above the concrete field and thousands of empty seats, the roof’s PTFE fabric alternates between white and orange-tan panels. City Architect Raul Quintana noted the color variation will fade out by spring.

“It took about three months to bleach out the ones that were first installed. There’s not going to be any difference between the panels’ colors when Opening Day comes around,” he said.

The new $22.5 million roof, which is a stronger, more weather-resistant fiberglass membrane, is part of a more than $60 million effort to restore the ballpark after 110-mile-per-hour winds from Hurricane Milton shredded the original dome late last year.

inside tropicana field as crews continue working | st. pete rising

The City’s insurance payout for the damage totaled $10.287 million, while a potential reimbursement from FEMA remains pending.

Although the Rays are only contracted to play at the Trop through the end of the 2028 season, the city must maintain a suitable stadium for the full term of the agreement, necessitating the repairs.

The team played its 2025 home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

The city has partnered with Hennessy Construction Services and AECOM Hunt on the project, beginning roof installation in August and securing the final panel on November 21st.

The PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) material, which is thicker, translucent, and engineered to withstand winds of up to 165 miles per hour, was manufactured in Germany, assembled in China, and air-freighted to Alaska before arriving in St. Petersburg.

A volcanic eruption in eastern Russia caused a week-long delay in August when six volcanoes disrupted a shipment flight from China.

Tropicana Field’s new $22.5 million roof is part of a more than $60 million repair project | St Pete Rising

Herendeen said Rays representatives traveled to Arizona to view a similar roof structure at State Farm Stadium, and the city consulted with Geiger Engineering, the Trop’s original dome designer.

With the stadium now “dried in,” bowl air conditioning has been restored.

Workers are installing new drywall in the broadcast and media rooms, repainting seats, repairing slightly bent lighting structures, and replacing electrical systems.

Flooring for the 360 walkway and the Viva Deck in left field will be installed this month, and new turf is expected to arrive in mid-January.

All renovations are scheduled to be finished by March, well before the Rays reopen the ballpark on April 6th against the Chicago Cubs.

Responding to a question from St. Pete Rising, Herendeen said MLB representatives toured the stadium about a month ago and continue to join weekly calls with the city.

“Major League Baseball standards have evolved over time,” she said. “There were things damaged during the storm, and our expectation was to replace them in kind, but the MLB standard has changed, so the conversations were a little about what was a storm-related repair or not.”

For instance, the backstop netting behind home plate was damaged. To meet MLB’s preference to extend the netting to the foul poles, the city will tap the Capital Repair, Renewal and Replacement Sinking Fund Account, which is funded by naming rights revenue and ticket fees.

A shadow of a crew member working on the exterior of the roof | st. pete rising

The Rays, meanwhile, are making separate investments.

“We are not doing the offices. We were repairing the suites, but any upgrades to the suites, the Rays are doing them,” Herendeen said. “We’ve reached a compromise on everything,” she added, noting those conversations began before the team’s ownership change.

The Rays will also add a new ribbon board, digital graphics, and other enhancements, and will collaborate with The Florida Aquarium to return live stingrays to the touch tank.

As interior construction ramps up, the city expects the on-site workforce to double to around 400 people.

Before reopening, Greenfield Environmental Inc., a St. Pete-based consulting firm, will test indoor air quality after months of exposure allowed mold and mildew to develop in parts of the building.

Yet even as construction advances, the Rays’ long-term future in St. Petersburg remains unclear.

Following the team’s $1.7 billion sale in September, the new ownership group is evaluating potential stadium sites across the Tampa Bay region.