ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – The St. Petersburg City Council changed course Thursday on spending more than $23 million to repair the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ ballpark, first voting narrowly for approval and hours later changing course. .
The move to renovate Tropicana Field came after the council voted to delay consideration of bonds to finance the Rays’ new $1.3 billion ballpark. Just two days before that happened, the Pinellas County Commission suspended a vote on its section of the stadium ordinance, leaving the project in limbo.
“This is a sad place. I’m disappointed,” council chairwoman Deborah Figg-Sanders said. “We won’t get there if we keep looking for ways we can’t do.”
The Rays say the poor move is putting the new stadium plan and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy.
“I can’t say I’m confident about anything,” Rays vice president Brian Auld told council members.
The Trop’s shiny fiberglass roof was ripped into pieces on October 9 when Hurricane Milton swept south of Tampa Bay. There was also significant water damage inside the ballpark, with the city’s estimate of total repair costs set at $55.7 million.
The extensive renovations cannot be completed before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays have reached an agreement with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York’s training home across the ocean in Tampa.
Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB wants to give the Rays and Tampa-area politicians time to figure out a way forward because of the disruption caused by the storm. Assuming Tropicana Field is fixed, the Rays are obligated to play there for three more seasons.
“We are committed to the fans in Tampa Bay,” Manfred said at the owners’ meeting. “Given everything that has happened in this market, we are focused on our sales in Tampa Bay right now.”
The first vote on Thursday was to go over the roof part of the amendment. Once that’s done, staff can begin work on installing a new baseball field, repairing damaged seats and office space and various electrical systems — which would require another vote to approve the remaining restoration funds.
The next vote to refinance the roof means the city and the Rays must work on a plan in the coming weeks so that Tropicana Field can be ready for the 2026 season. The city is legally obligated to repair the roof.
“I want to fix it and see exactly what we are obligated to do,” council member John Muhammad said.
The city previously voted to spend $6.5 million to prevent further damage to the roofless Trop. Some members of the council said that before voting on the 23.7 million dollars to repair the city’s roof, they are required to do this.
“I don’t see a way out. We have a contract in place,” council member Gina Driscoll said. “We are obliged to do it. We will fix the roof.”
The council had voted 4-3 to approve the roof repairs. Members who opposed it said there was insufficient clarity on several issues, including how much would be covered by the ball’s insurance and how much the Federal Emergency Management Agency would likely provide.
He also said that the residents of the city who are struggling to repair their homes and businesses that were damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton are disappointed when they see a lot of tax dollars going to baseball.
“Why are we looking to spend so much money when there is so much uncertainty?” council member Richie Floyd said.
The new Rays ballpark — likely to open in 2029, if at all — is part of a larger urban renewal project called the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to the predominantly black community that was forced out to build the Tropicana area. Field and interstate highway spur.
The massive $6.5 billion project would transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) tract into the city’s downtown core, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues, and office and retail space. place. There is a promise of thousands of jobs as well.
The mayor of St. Petersburg Ken Welch, who heads the entire project, said it’s not time to give up.
“We believe there is a way to be successful,” the mayor said.
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