Mayor ken welch visiting tropicana field to see the repair progress in action | city of st. petersburg

Blue netting now surrounds the steel framework of what’s left of Tropicana Field’s roof in downtown St. Petersburg as crews begin to install the first set of roof panels.

Last October, winds of up to 110 miles per hour from Hurricane Milton shredded the stadium’s fabric roof, causing extensive interior damage.

Now, the City of St. Pete is on the hook for the repairs.

General contractors Hennessy Construction Services and AECOM Hunt are leading the $59 million repair project, with the new roof accounting for more than $23 million of that total.

“Repair progress is well underway at Tropicana Field,” Mayor Ken Welch wrote in a Facebook post Friday, sharing photos of the work.

Working installing the netting and other components | city of st. petersburg

“My team and I visited to get a closer look at the roof repairs up close. The first of 24 roof panels is getting installed this week. At this pace, we're on track to complete the panel installation by the end of December,” he continued, thanking Managing Director of City Development Beth Herendeen and her team for leading the city’s efforts on the repairs.

Some residents have questioned why the city is spending so much money repairing a stadium that may only be in use for a few more years.

The answer lies in a 1995 use agreement, which legally requires the city to maintain Tropicana Field and provide parking for the Rays through the 2028 season. That agreement was recently extended by one year after the Rays temporarily relocated to Tampa while repairs are completed.

The new roof will be constructed of PTFE (polytetrafluoroethylene), a translucent material that is thicker than the original roof and engineered to withstand hurricane-force winds up to 165 miles per hour. Most of the material is being manufactured in Germany and assembled in China.

tarp draps over the seats to help mitigate any further damage from rainwater | city of st. petersburg

Once the roof is in place, the city will move on to major interior renovations, including new turf for the playing field.

In the coming months, council members will also vote on funding for architectural finishes, flooring, audio and video systems, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing upgrades.

The entire renovation is expected to be complete before the start of the 2026 baseball season next April.

Even with a solid plan to repair the Home of the Rays, the future of the team is far from settled.

Since the stadium’s closure, the team has been playing home games at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

Workers along the catwalk | city of st. petersburg

Meanwhile, the Rays and development partner Hines announced in March that they were pulling out of a $6.5 billion plan to redevelop the 86-acre Tropicana Field site after failing to meet key project milestones.

Adding to the uncertainty, Rays owner Stu Sternberg is expected to sell the franchise next month to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski in a deal valued at around $1.7 billion.

Reports suggest the prospective new owners would prefer to move the team to Tampa.