PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — Crews are working on roof repairs at Tropicana Field.
The roof of the ballpark was ripped off during Hurricane Milton last year.
WATCH: City of St. Pete provides update on Tropicana Field repairs
Crews reinstalled several panels, and the city said the roof should be completely repaired by the end of the year.
"I would hate to see baseball leave St. Pete, and particularly Babe Ruth, put St. Pete on the map. Before that, it was sort of a sleepy town," said Tim Reid, who loves baseball.
Tim Reid is a Babe Ruth historian, and needless to say, a big fan of baseball, which is why he checks on Tropicana Field.
"I've been looking at it periodically since the hurricane, and they are making some progress," said Reid.
Within the last few weeks, the stadium roof has started to transform.
"There's like a netting, sort of netting thing, and then there's a periodic white tarping," said Reid.
The City of St. Pete started installing white roof panels. Four have been installed so far.
Each panel takes approximately six hours to install and up to six days to secure.
"So that's reassuring that they are actually doing it," said Reid.
City leaders said once the roof is complete, crews will begin repairing the inside of the stadium.
City council members said they are scheduled to vote on the next GMP, which includes updated funding information for the project, later in September.
There has been some speculation about whether tariffs could impact the project's cost, but the city stated that no additional funding is currently needed.
Reid said he supports whatever is necessary to bring back baseball.
"I think it's worth it because that would be losing a treasure. It would be a shame to go over budget, but everything goes over budget now," said Reid.
Dallas Moore works at a local pet boutique near the stadium. She hopes to see the rays in St. Pete next year.
"I think it's definitely good for the area, it brings a lot of tourists and business for locals, so I'm hoping to see it come back open before next season," said Moore.
While there are questions about where the Rays will play after the 2028 baseball season, Reid hopes the repairs will keep the team in St. Pete.
"Of course, I hope it's so complete that the MLB cannot say no to putting the team back because St. Pete deserves a baseball team," said Reid.
As long as there are no major weather interruptions, city leaders expect the roof to be completed by the end of the year.
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