Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg will host World Series games after a $58 million repair project restored the ballpark following Hurricane Milton damage, a turnaround that came in below the $59.7 million approved by the City Council.
The final bill matters because the stadium was left with major roof damage after the 2024 storm, and former ownership had pushed the city to buy out the team’s stadium agreement while arguing the Trop could not be repaired in time for the 2026 season. Instead, the work was finished in time for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to play all three World Series home games there.
A long repair job ends with the stadium ready
City Development Administration Managing Director Beth Herendeen said the project took a major effort from everyone involved. She described the process as difficult, but still possible from the start.
Herendeen said the roof was gone, debris was spread across the turf, and the stadium clearly needed extensive work. At the same time, she noted that the seats, concourses and clubs were still intact, which gave her confidence that the building could be brought back.
“We can get this done,” she recalled thinking.
Why the roof repair became complicated
The most difficult part of the repair involved replacing the roof panels. Herendeen said the materials were fabricated in Germany, assembled in China, and then had to be airlifted. The shipment ran into another unexpected problem when the first eruption of a Russian volcano in 600 years closed the airspace over the North Pole, delaying the first roof panels.
That made the timeline more complicated, but the stadium repairs still came in under budget. Herendeen said the project took “a lot of people a lot of time, energy, blood, sweat and tears to get it done,” and added that she was optimistic throughout the process.
How the city and community responded
Herendeen said she is “incredibly proud” of the outcome and credited the community for helping make World Series baseball possible in St. Pete. She said the Rays players earned the chance on the field, but the city, the mayor, the council, city staff and contractors all helped make the event possible.
That sense of momentum is showing up downtown as well. Pete Boland said there is “a frenetic energy downtown now” and that World Series fever is beginning to build around the area. He said people have been coming before, during and after games, and added that the moment means a great deal to St. Petersburg and the wider Tampa Bay area.
For a stadium that was left with its roof torn off, getting back to hosting the World Series is a significant finish. The repairs came in under the amount approved by the City Council, and Tropicana Field is back on baseball’s biggest stage exactly when it matters most.
