Janelle Irwin Taylor
A roof installation crew is now installing netting that will be used as a work platform to replace the iconic domed roof on the Tampa Bay Rays’ home stadium at Tropicana Field near downtown St. Petersburg.
The work comes after much of the roof was blown from the structure last year during Hurricane Milton. Crews are currently in the roof mobilization phase, with installation to begin next month.
The roof is expected to be complete in December, with turf installation and major interior work to begin after the roof project concludes.
The entire Tropicana Field repair project is expected to be complete by April 2026.
The timeline comes after the St. Pete City Council approved $22.5 million to replace the roof and conduct other needed repairs to the building. But even with repairs underway and a tentative timeline in place, the future of the Rays in St. Pete is uncertain.
The Rays are currently playing the 2025 season at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, and are expected to return to Tropicana Field next season after repairs are complete. But even with a one-year extension to the team’s contract to play ball at Tropicana Field — added in response to them playing this season elsewhere — the team is only contractually obligated to play at the field through the 2028.
The latest news on the team’s plans suggests they may not stay in St. Pete after that.
Rays owner Stu Sternberg is reportedly closing in on a sale of the team to a group led by Jacksonville developer Patrick Zalupski. Zalupski is expected to keep the team in the Tampa Bay area, but he has a strong preference to move the team to Tampa.
Sternberg has been under pressure to sell the team after a deal to build a new stadium in St. Pete, at the site of the current Tropicana Field, fell through. The deal collapsed after Tropicana Field was badly damaged by Hurricane Milton in October.
Approval of bonds needed for the financing deal was delayed after the Rays, needing a new home for the 2025 season, chose to play at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, rather than choosing a location in Pinellas County.
The announcement in March that the stadium deal was officially dead came just days after reports that investors were lining up to purchase the Rays, with intentions to keep the team in St. Pete.
Despite questions about the Rays’ future, the city of St. Pete is contractually obligated to make repairs to Tropicana Field to ensure the team is able to play there for the duration of its contract.
One comment
Ron Ogden
July 22, 2025 at 11:06 am
If the dome were owned by a private entity, if would just be their tough luck. But we’re talking about wasting millions in public money, and that, like nearly everything in the aching history of the dome, is an example of how bad public administration comes home to roost.