The council of St. Petersburg refused to immediately repair the roof of the Rays ballpark after giving permission first

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) – The City Council of St. Petersburg pushed back Thursday on whether to spend more than $23 million to repair the storm-damaged roof of the Tampa Bay Rays’ ballpark, initially voting narrowly for approval and hours later reversing course. .

The overhaul of Tropicana Field comes after the council voted to delay consideration of new capital bonds for the Rays’ proposed $1.3 billion new ballpark. Just two days earlier, the Pinellas County Commission postponed a vote on its portion of the new stadium’s bonds, leaving that project in limbo.

“This is a sad place. I’m very disappointed,” said council chairwoman Deborah Figg-Sanders. “We’re not going to get there if we keep finding ways we can’t.”

The Rays say the lack of progress puts the new stadium plan and the future of Tropicana Field in jeopardy.

“I can’t say that I have any confidence,” Rays co-president Brian Auld told council members.

The Trop’s flexible fiberglass roof was torn to pieces on Oct. 9 when Hurricane Milton made landfall just south of Tampa Bay. There was also extensive water damage inside the ballpark, with the city’s estimate of total repair costs set at $55.7 million.

The extensive renovations cannot be completed before the 2026 season, city documents show. The Rays have reached an agreement with the Yankees to play next season at 11,000-seat Steinbrenner Field, New York’s spring training home across the bay in Tampa.

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB wants to give local Rays and Tampa politicians time to find a way forward given the disruption caused by the storm. Assuming Tropicana Field is fixed, the Rays are obligated to play there for three more seasons.

“We are committed to the Tampa Bay fans,” Manfred said at the owners’ meeting. “Given everything that’s happened in that market, we’re focused on our trade in Tampa Bay right now.”

The first vote on Thursday was to go on the roof portion of the repairs. Once that’s done, staff could begin work on putting in a new baseball field, repairing damaged residential and office space and various electronic systems — which would require another vote to approve the money to restore the remainder.

The subsequent vote to reverse funding for roof repairs essentially means the city and the Rays must work on an alternative in the coming weeks to get Tropicana Field ready for the 2026 season. The city is legally obligated to repair the roof.

“I would like to fix it and see exactly what we need to do,” said council member John Muhammad.

The city previously voted to spend $6.5 million to prevent further damage to the unroofed Trop. Several council members said before voting on the $23.7 million to repair the roof that the city was obligated to do so.

“I don’t see a way out. We have an existing contract,” said council member Gina Driscoll. “We have an obligation to do it. We will fix the roof.”

The council voted 4-3 to approve the roof repairs. Opposition members said there was insufficient clarity on several issues, including how much the ballpark’s insurance would pay and how much the Federal Emergency Management Agency might provide.

They also noted that city residents struggling to repair their homes and businesses damaged by hurricanes Helene and Milton are disappointed to see so many taxpayer dollars going to baseball.

“Why do we want to spend so much money so quickly when there is so much uncertainty?” said council member Richie Floyd.

The new Rays ballpark — now likely to open in 2029, if that — is part of a larger urban renewal project known as the Historic Gas Plant District, which refers to the predominantly black neighborhood that was forced to make way for the construction of the Tropicana. Stadium and highway interstate.

The sprawling $6.5 billion project will transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) downtown site, with plans in the coming years for a Black history museum, affordable housing, a hotel, green space, entertainment venues, and office and retail space. space. There is the promise of thousands of jobs too.

The Mayor of St. Petersburg Ken Welch, the main promoter of the whole project, said that it is not time to give up.

“We believe that there is a path to success,” said the mayor.

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