Two hurricanes slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast this fall.
Damage from a storm will affect one of the area’s teams for years to come.
And a direct hit from a hurricane created another awful problem for the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Tampa Bay Ray’s problems get worse after Hurricane Milton
Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key, Florida as a category 3 storm.
In its path, 100-mile-per-hour winds ripped the roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
In March, 2024 the city of St. Petersburg, FL lowered their wind and flood insurance from $100M to $25M on Tropicana Field to save the city $275,000 a year in insurance premiums.
The cost to repair the roof damage is $56M! Too bad for the Rays… pic.twitter.com/OrNF1z9pkG
— Rubén Sierra (@itsrubensierra) November 13, 2024
The domed stadium is the home of Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Tampa Bay Rays.
Damage from the hurricane has left the team scrambling to figure out where its home will be for next season.
The St. Petersburg City Council found that it would take until the 2026 MLB season to fully repair the damage to Tropicana Field.
A report said that the stadium’s structure would need repairs to the roof which would be pricey.
Fixing the roof and repairing the rest of the damage will come with a hefty $55 million price tag.
St. Petersburg owns the stadium and reduced the insurance policy it had on Tropicana Field from $100 million in March to $25 million with a $22 million deductible.
That reduction in coverage saved the city $275,000 in insurance premium payments.
Now, the city is in a pickle about what to do with the stadium moving forward.
Tropicana Field is scheduled to be torn down when the Rays move into a new $1.3 billion stadium for the 2028 season.
Now, the St. Petersburg City Council must decide if it is worth it to pay to repair a stadium for two seasons of use.
“We have so much need across the city,” St. Petersburg City Council member Brandi Gabbard said. “I love the Rays. I love Tropicana Field. It’s not about not wanting to do this. It’s about a balance of priorities.”
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch hoped that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) would provide money to help repair the stadium.
“We believe having our hometown team play in St. Petersburg as soon as possible is important for our community,” Welch said in a statement.
Tampa Bay Rays search for a temporary home
St. Petersburg would have to pony up more than $50 million to repair Tropicana Field.
The Rays could be in a temporary home until the 2028 season if the stadium does not get repaired.
No matter what the city decides, the team is searching for a stadium to play for the 2025 MLB season that begins in late March.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred wants the Rays to spend next season as close to home as possible even if it means playing in a smaller stadium.
“The easiest thing is always to stay in the market where the clubs are anchored if we can manage it,” Manfred said.
Spring training stadiums in Clearwater (Phillies), Tampa (Yankees), Dunedin (Blue Jays), Sarasota (Orioles), Lakeland (Tigers), and The Ray’s spring training stadium in Port Charlotte have been mentioned as possible destinations.
Tampa Bay could be waiting until 2028 till the team finally has a stadium to call home.
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this story.
