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Tampa Bay Rays in $22.5 million bonus for Tropicana Field redevelopment in major stadium boost after hurricane damage
Tropicana Field has been without a roof after Hurricane Milton's devastation
THE TAMPA BAY RAYS have received a major boost in their bid to repair their legendary Tropicana Field.
The Rays saw the roof of their stadium getting ripped off during Hurricane Milton's devastation last fall.
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And thus Tampa Bay have been playing at the spring training home of the New York Yankees at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.
According to Front Office Sports, however, the St Petersburg City Council approved $22.5million in funding on Thursday to begin reparations.
The city council in Florida voted 7–1 to replace Tropicana Field’s roof.
St Petersburg is the venue’s landlord and is contractually obligated to fix the damage.
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The Rays' goal is to have Tropicana Field ready for the 2026 MLB season.
If the baseball franchise return home for next term they will have three years remaining on the lease.
That extends by one year for each season Tampa Bay don't play at the ballpark.
However, there is no guarantee Tropicana Field will be ready to host MLB games next year.
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Some more repairs are needed on the playing surface as well as the audio and video.
This comes after the Rays decided against building a new $1.3billion ballpark in St Petersburg last month.
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That led to questions about Tampa Bay's future, including a potential relocation.