City Council Changes Course on $23 Million Decision to Fix Rays' Tropicana Field

The St. Petersburg City Council reversed its decision Thursday night.

Satellite imagery of Tropicana Field on Oct. 10, 2024. / Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After approving $23 million to help repair the Tampa Bay Rays' shredded roof at Tropicana Field, the St. Petersburg City Council reversed its decision several hours later on Thursday night.

St. Petersburg's city council initially voted 4–3 in a meeting Thursday to loan the Rays $23 million toward a new roof. The construction was set to be overseen by Hennessy Construction Services, a St. Petersburg-based contractor. However, the reversal set in after the council voted to delay consideration of revenue bonds for the Rays' proposed $1.3 billion ballpark.

Tropicana Field's roof was destroyed last month by Hurricane Milton, a storm that made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in Florida on Oct. 9. The city is legally obligated to fix the roof, and the Rays are still hoping a solution can be reached so the ballpark can be ready for the 2026 season.

Tampa Bay will play its 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

St. Petersburg City Council approves $23.7 million loaned from city departments to pay for a new roof at Tropicana Field in a 4-3 vote.

This follows the same voting lines as the Trop deal. Floyd, Hanewicz, Muhammad voting no

— Colleen Wright (@Colleen_Wright) November 21, 2024

Tropicana Field opened in 1990—eight years before the Rays moved in—and has long been a punching bag among MLB fans, both for its byzantine design and its attendance-discouraging location.

Despite this, it's currently the only home Tampa Bay has, and it will need some help before the Rays can think about a new stadium.

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