ST. PETERSBURG, Fla., (WFLA) – The St. Pete City Council will vote on Thursday afternoon to begin the process of repairing Tropicana Field or not.
The estimated cost to fix the stadium, a staple for St. Petersburg, would be around $55 million.
There has been a lot of back and forth between city leaders and the team leading up to the vote this afternoon.
Hurricane Milton took the roof off Tropicana Field months ago and it still hasn’t been repaired. The council’s vote could change that.
Thursday, council members will be voting on whether to move forward with an agreement between the city, the state, and a construction company hired to fix the stadium and its roof.
This vote follows a meeting in November where the council decided not to approve the plan to repair Tropicana Field.
Originally, the council voted 4 to 3 to approve the repairs but later reversed that decision after Rays Co-President, Brian Auld, spoke to the media during the meeting’s recess and said the deal for the team’s new stadium was dead.
“My understanding is you have made it clear to the media that there is no deal,” a member of the council said.
“Again I…I hoped that was clear from the letter that has set everybody off,” Auld responded.
“The other thing is you’re not in favor of fixing the Trop?” asked the council.
“I believe it’s going to be next to impossible for the Trop to be repaired for the 2026 season,” Auld answered.
During that meeting, Mayor Ken Welch said he is prepared to bring a modified plan back to the council for them to consider.
“I’m not bringing back a dime more for the Rays because of the agreement we have is three and a half months old that says all cost escalations will be borne by then,” Welch said.
The hope is the repairs will be made in time for the Rays to play at the stadium in 2026, but an exact timeline hasn’t been announced.
The city already approved $6 million to make sure the damage at Tropicana Field doesn’t get any worse.
St. Pete City Council will make their vote during their 1:30 meeting at City Hall on Thursday.
