ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday unanimously voted to start the process of repairing Tropicana Field, which was badly damaged by Hurricane Milton.

What You Need To Know

  • City leaders approved $1.4 million to do pre-construction and $206,000 to hire a firm to plan the repairs

  • Meanwhile, Pinellas County leaders discussed their part of the stadium project, with a close vote likely next week

  • ABOVE: Spectrum Bay News 9's Josh Rojas reports on Pinellas County commissioners meeting 

  • PREVIOUS STORIES: Rays stadium pursuit

City leaders approved $1.4 million to do pre-construction and $206,000 to hire a firm to plan the repairs.

In early October, Milton ripped the roof off The Trop, home of the Tampa Bay Rays since 1998.

Fabric will have to be developed to cover the roof, with inside repairs also necessary. Work will also have to be done on the stadium lights.

Thursday was a first step, as the city still weighs millions more on the repairs themselves.

The new roof could be installed by the end of November, with new turf installed by February 2026.

The Rays have already announced they will play their 2025 regular season schedule at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.

PINELLAS COUNTY COMMISSION TALKS ABOUT DEAL, WITH VOTE NEXT WEEK

Meanwhile, Pinellas County commissioners held a workshop Thursday before their vote next week on approving bonds for the Rays new stadium. The city of St. Pete approved its portion last week, so now the pressure is on the county.

The workshop revealed there are three "yes" votes for the bonds and three "no" votes, leaving one swing vote on the seven-member commission.

For Commissioner Dave Eggers, the ballpark deal comes down to trust and character. In July, he voted against spending $312 million in bed tax money for the $1.3 billion stadium.

“My feeling is that we need to recognize that vote that we did in July, that this commission, not this commission, but the commission did subject to the things getting done that need to get done," he said.

Two commissioners have left the board since the November election, with two joining.

Eggers says he wants to see if the Rays are meeting their obligations for the project.

 ”They have a responsibility to perform and are they doing that? Can we can they show us that they're actually performing?“ he asked.

The county has delayed their bond vote twice since October, which the Rays blame for cost overruns. Commissioners on Thursday called that accusation a misnomer.

The commission will meet Tuesday to vote on their share of the bonds.