Sports

Photos: A look inside Tropicana Field as repairs wind down

WUSF | By Daylina Miller

Published February 13, 2026 at 5:35 PM EST

The beige and white triangular panels of a fiberglass roof strecth over an indoor baseball field with bright green artificial grass and looming blue stadium seating int he background. A man in a yellow safety vest and hardhat is walking across the field toward the camera.

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Nearly a year and a half after Hurricane Milton tore through the Tampa Bay region and ripped the fiberglass roof off of Tropicana Field, construction crews are busy wrapping up repairs to make the indoor stadium baseball-ready.

Daylina Miller / WUSF

A wideshot inside an indoor baseball stadium. The fiberglass roof panels have been installed, as well as new rust colored and green artificial grass, blue stadium seating, and more.

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Repairs to Tropicana Field are still estimated to total about $60 million.

Daylina Miller / WUSF

A closer shot of the alternating beige and white fiberglass panels of the new roof, with the metal beams supporting the catwlak and lighting rigs clearly shown.

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The final panel of the stadium’s iconic white, domed roof was replaced in late November 2025. The polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) panels are thicker than the old ones, and built to withstand higher winds — but they aren't colored the way you might remember from the last 30 years. They'll eventually be bleached fully white by the sun.

Daylina Miller / WUSF

The Tampa Bay Rays' home opener is set for April 6 against the Chicago Cubs. It'll be the first game at Tropicana Field since Hurricane Milton ripped off part of the fiberglass roof in 2024.

The smell of paint and drywall permeates the bustling halls inside St. Petersburg’s Tropicana Field as hundreds of construction workers rush to make the home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball-ready by the end of March.

The tattered fiberglass roof ripped by Hurricane Milton was replaced in late November. This made interior repairs proceed more quickly after no longer being exposed to the elements.

ALSO READ: Photos: Inside Tropicana Field and the work to repair it by Opening Day

“If I had wood, I would knock on it, but so far, we fully anticipate to be ready for Opening Day and ready for the Rays to move back in,” said Beth Herendeen, the city development administration managing director for St. Petersburg. “This was a tremendous feat, and I joke with the team, because the only credit I can take is that I believed it could be done.”

A look at ground level across an indoor baseball stadium. A rust-colored artifical grass surrounds the brown dirt on home plate. You can see blue stadium seating in the background. — Without a roof, Tropicana Field was exposed to the elements for more than a year. Extensive damage was done to seating, flooring, drywall, electronic systems and more.

An update on the repairs

Repairs made include restoring air conditioning and electricity to the catwalk, installing a new sound system, putting up new backstop netting, and putting down floors for the 360° walkway and Viva deck.

Mold remediation was required throughout the stadium, and additional air quality testing will be done before the stadium opens to the public.

The new artificial grass is almost ready for the pitter pat of baseball cleats, and the connecting flooring — once made of tile that popped up with water damage — is now more durable, vinyl tile that looks like wood.

ALSO READ: How much damage did Milton cause at Tropicana Field? These new photos offer a glimpse

New home plate club seats were also installed.

Several sections contained leather seating destroyed by water intrusion, and those seats were also replaced, but is still hidden under a cascade of plastic sheeting draped over each section.

The clubhouse is also currently being outfitted with new carpet and lockers.

A large plastic sheet hangs between sections of seating. Behind it, but not shown, are newly replaced leather chairs. — A lot of the Trop's seating was damaged, including leather chairs in certain sections. These were replaced entirely and are currently hidden by plastic sheeting.

The batter's eye is complete, and so is the new Budweiser porch. The Budweiser deck is currently under construction.

Wall padding circling the field will be installed in mid-March, with most major repairs done by the end of that month, and finishing touches completed by early April.

It may take several more weeks for the fiberglass roof panels to finish bleaching white.

“I think for fans coming in, it will be nostalgically familiar. It won't look tremendously different. It'll be nice and fresh and clean, and they won't really see any remnants of the hurricane or anything like that,” Herendeen said. “The Rays are putting in their funds and their effort to improve some areas from what they were before Hurricane Milton. So I think the fans will have some surprises that way as well.”

A close up of a man in a yellow safety vest and hardhat on his hands and knees. He's laying down rust colored artificial grass on the outer edge of the field. — Jason Willis of Shaw Turf works on detail trim along the outfield at the third base line. The grass will bump up against vinyl flooring designed to look like wood, which city officials say will be more durable than the tile that was there and destroyed by water intrusion.

Final costs and reimbursements

Herendeen said repairs are still estimated to come close to $59.7 million — the total amount for the project approved by the city council.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has authorized a $16.5 million reimbursement. Additional reimbursements could happen as the city provides receipts from repairs, Herendeen said.

A man wearing a yellow safety vest and white hardhat is raking dirt on the field. A few feet behind him is a small yellow and black construction vehicle. — Repairs to the baseball field itself are nearly complete. Lush new, artifical grass has been installed, as well as new infield dirt, which is made of clay, silt, and sand designed to provide optimal playing conditions.

An additional $10.8 million came from the city insurance provider.

Herendeen said another $2.75 million could come from the state, but that has not been finalized by legislators.

What to know before first pitch

The Rays played last season's home games at Tampa’s Steinbrenner Field, the spring training home of the New York Yankees.

The 2026 Major League Baseball season is scheduled to start on March 26. The Rays' home opener is set for April 6 against the Chicago Cubs after a nine-game road trip to start the season.