The City of St. Pete will spend approximately $55 million repairing Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton tore the stadium’s roof off in October 2024 | city of st. pete

One year after entering into a $6.5 billion redevelopment deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and national developer Hines, St. Pete City Council unanimously voted on Thursday to terminate the agreement.

The deal would have allowed the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District be to redeveloped into a new mixed-use neighborhood with nearly 8 million square feet of space, including a $1.3 billion baseball stadium.

City Council’s vote was largely procedural, as the Rays and Hines had announced in March that they were withdrawing from the deal after missing key project milestones.

Mayor Ken Welch, who was a strong supporter of the project, addressed the termination in a statement following the vote.

“While the Rays’ decision is terribly disappointing, our mission was to adapt and refocus on our primary objective – the progress of our city,” said Welch. “And part of that mission is accomplished by today’s City Council vote.”

a rendering of the cancelled $6.5 Billion plan to transform the Historic Gas Plant District in downtown St. Pete | Tampa bay rays and hines

“At this moment, the most important step for our City is coming to closure on this agreement so that we can begin to move forward on developing portions of the Historic Gas Plant District.”

Welch added that the city’s initial focus will be on housing, the Dr. Carter G. Woodson African American Museum, and building a workforce development ecosystem. The city is also working with the County on a feasibility study for a potential convention center on a portion of the Historic Gas Plant property.

With the deal now off the table, the future of the Rays in St. Pete is more uncertain than ever. The team is currently playing home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa while Tropicana Field undergoes repairs after back-to-back hurricanes last year tore the roof off the stadium.

Additionally, Rays owner Stu Sternberg is in the process of selling the team to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski in a deal reportedly worth around $1.7 billion. Reports indicate the prospective new owners would prefer to relocate the team to Tampa.

Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton ripped the stadium’s roof off in October 2024 | The Associated Press

“What a gift that we were able to get to a point where a termination has a minimal impact on our city,” said council member Richie Floyd. “Some of us found out who we were dealing with before we got too far down the line.”

Alongside the termination, council members also approved two license agreements allowing the Rays to keep using four existing parcels on the city-controlled Tropicana Field site for parking, storage, special events, and an exterior marquee.

Under the approved licensing agreement, the Rays will begin paying an annual license fee of $400,000 starting in August. The team will be responsible for all maintenance, utilities, taxes, and fees associated with the parcels.

One of the four parcels, a roughly 2.3-acre site at 1st Avenue and 16th Street South, will cost the team just $12 annually. However, the city retains the right to terminate that agreement after the 2026 season.

A new licensing agreement allows the Rays to keep using four existing parcels on the city-controlled Tropicana Field site for parking, storage, special events, and an exterior marquee | Google Maps

City Administrator Rob Gerdes noted that the funds will help offset the growing cost of stadium repairs, which are estimated to exceed $55 million.

On Thursday, council members also voted to continue funding those repairs, approving $5.26 million to repair the stadium’s sports lighting and catwalk electrical systems. That comes in addition to the $2.352 million already approved in June to replace storm-damaged metal wall cladding panels.

Construction work, led by Hennessy Construction Services and AECOM Hunt, is already underway.

The most significant and costly repair will be the full replacement of Tropicana Field’s roof, scheduled to begin in August. The new roof will be made of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene) material that is translucent, thicker than the original, and designed to withstand hurricane winds up to 165 miles per hour.

Most of the material is being manufactured in Germany and assembled in China. The roof, which will cost over $23 million, is expected to be completed by December.

new netting being installed above the outfield at Tropicana Field in downtown St. pete | city of st. pete

After the roof installation, the city will proceed with major interior repairs and install new turf on the playing field.

“For those out there wondering why we are doing this, the reality is under the contract, we just have to. And that’s the bottom line. If there was a way out, trust me, I would’ve been screaming about it,” said Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz.

Under a 1995 use agreement, the city is legally required to maintain Tropicana Field and provide parking to the Rays through the 2028 MLB season. The agreement was recently extended by one year due to damage from Hurricane Milton.

In the coming months, council members will vote to fund architectural finishes, flooring, audio and video equipment, and remaining mechanical, electrical, and plumbing components.

The entire stadium renovation is expected to be completed by April 2026.