Tropicana Discipline 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 Discipline in time for Opening Day 2026 after Hurricane Milton tore fabric panels off its dome roof and broken some areas contained in the constructing, whilst plans are advancing to construct the workforce 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 Discipline,” per the phrases of the workforce’s use settlement with town for the ability.
Metropolis officers voted final month to award contracts to Atlanta-based Related Area Design Inc. to develop plans for repairs apart from the roof work and St. Petersburg-based Hennessy Building Companies Corp. for preconstruction companies so the agency can present a assured most value for approval earlier than starting work, however has not but accredited full funding.
Repairs to the ballpark are estimated to cost $55.7 million, St. Petersburg Metropolis Architect Raul Quintana beforehand stated throughout a metropolis council assembly. And a schedule he offered to the council final month would have the repairs full in time for the 2026 baseball season.
“A partial 2026 season in Tropicana Discipline would current huge logistical and income challenges for the workforce,” Silverman wrote within the letter. “It’s due to this fact crucial that the rebuild begin in earnest as quickly as attainable, {that a} sensible 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, beneath its phrases, will probably be prolonged by way of the tip of the 2028 season due to the harm.
Which will work out for the workforce, 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 might not be full in time for the beginning of the 2028 baseball season.
The Rays plan to play dwelling video games this upcoming season on the smaller George M. Steinbrenner Discipline in neighboring Hillsborough County, the place the New York Yankees maintain spring coaching.
In the meantime, metropolis officers have superior the cleanup at Tropicana Discipline. Crews from contractor International Rope Entry eliminated the tattered material and free metallic panels from the dome, Metropolis Growth Administration Managing Director Beth Herendeen informed council members at their December assembly.
James Leggate is a web-based 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.
