Tropicana Area in St. Petersburg, Fla., was broken by wind and rain from Hurricane Milton in October.
Photograph cropped from the unique by Adog/CC BY-SA 4.0
Main League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays are hoping town of St. Petersburg, Fla., will full repairs to Tropicana Area in time for Opening Day 2026 after Hurricane Milton tore fabric panels off its dome roof and broken some areas contained in the constructing, at the same time as plans are advancing to construct the group a brand new stadium.
In a Dec. 30 letter to St. Petersburg’s metropolis administrator, Rays President Matthew Silverman wrote that “the Rays help and count on town to rebuild Tropicana Area,” per the phrases of the group’s use settlement with town for the power.
Metropolis officers voted final month to award contracts to Atlanta-based Related House Design Inc. to develop plans for repairs apart from the roof work and St. Petersburg-based Hennessy Development Companies Corp. for preconstruction providers so the agency can present a assured most value for approval earlier than starting work, however has not but accepted full funding.
Repairs to the ballpark are estimated to cost $55.7 million, St. Petersburg Metropolis Architect Raul Quintana beforehand mentioned throughout a metropolis council assembly. And a schedule he introduced to the council final month would have the repairs full in time for the 2026 baseball season.
“A partial 2026 season in Tropicana Area would current large logistical and income challenges for the group,” Silverman wrote within the letter. “It’s due to this fact vital that the rebuild begin in earnest as quickly as doable, {that a} practical completion schedule be developed shortly and that town diligently pursue the reconstruction as required by the use settlement.”
Silverman additionally famous that the use settlement, underneath its phrases, can be prolonged by means of the top of the 2028 season due to the injury.
That will work out for the group, as its leaders warned county officers within the fall {that a} delayed vote to help fund the brand new $1.3-billion stadium had pushed its anticipated completion date again so it will not be full in time for the beginning of the 2028 baseball season.
The Rays plan to play residence video games this upcoming season on the smaller George M. Steinbrenner Area in neighboring Hillsborough County, the place the New York Yankees maintain spring coaching.
In the meantime, metropolis officers have superior the cleanup at Tropicana Area. Crews from contractor World Rope Entry eliminated the tattered material and free steel panels from the dome, Metropolis Improvement Administration Managing Director Beth Herendeen informed council members at their December assembly.
James Leggate is an internet information editor at ENR. He has reported on quite a lot of points for greater than 10 years and his work has contributed to a number of regional Related Press Media Editors and Murrow award wins.
