Hurricane damage: Tampa Bay Rays homeless in 2025
The baseball team could not return to its stadium until 2026 at the earliest – but that also seems extremely questionable.
Das Tropicana Field in Saint Petersburg
© AFP/SID/Bryan R. SMITH
The baseball team could not return to its stadium until 2026 at the earliest – but that also seems extremely questionable.
The Tampa Bay Rays from Major League Baseball (MLB) will be without a sporting home for at least a year due to the severe damage caused by Hurricane Milton. Tropicana Field, the team’s stadium since 1998, cannot be used again until 2026 at the earliest – but the repair costs would amount to a good 55 million US dollars (52 million euros). The city council in Saint Petersburg, Florida announced this on Tuesday.
The city now has to decide whether it wants to raise this amount and whether it considers the investment worthwhile: From 2028 onwards, the Rays are planning to move to a new, $1.3 billion arena anyway. The council is scheduled to meet on the matter next week.
About a month ago, the hurricane mainly damaged the stadium’s fiberglass roof, which was torn to pieces by the strong winds. Alternative options now include significantly smaller stadiums in the region, which are usually only used by MLB teams in preparation for the season.
