After approving $23 million to help repair the Tampa Bay Rays' hurricane-shredded roof at Tropicana Field late last week, the St. Petersburg City Council reversed its decision several hours later.
As reported by Sports Illustrated, 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, which made landfall in Florida on Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm. 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.
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Tampa Bay will play its 2025 season at George M. Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.
"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," wrote Patrick Andres for SI. "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."
