PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The City of St. Pete is taking the next step in the process to repair Tropicana Field.
At Thursday's city council meeting, council members recommended the authorization of planning for the Tropicana Field repairs.
According to city engineers, it will take about 16 weeks to plan the construction before any work can begin on Tropicana Field.
The city will allocate $1.4 million to Hennessy Construction Services Corporation and another $206,000 to Associated Space Design Inc. for the pre-construction phase.
It includes creating a 360-degree model of the damage within Tropicana Field and then creating repair plans for a new fabric roof, metal panel enclosures, electrical systems, HVAC and plumbing systems, and fire protection.
City Council Chair Deborah Figgs-Sanders said she wants to make sure that the money being used for this project is worth it.
"There's always construction going on here. There's building being redone right now. I feel like that’s part of living downtown, there's always going to be someone in the road somewhere, but I think after it will be really good for us," said Maggie Day, who works at Boujee Pet Boutique in St. Pete.
The total cost to repair the structure is roughly $55 million and the roof replacement would cost roughly $23 million.
Experts said the new fabric roof will have a life expectancy of at least 25 years.
At a previous City Council meeting, engineers said the Rays should be able to play in Tropicana Field again by the 2026 baseball season.
“You know, it might just be time we take a look if HOAs are really even necessary.
Maybe we should just do away with homeowner associations as a whole.”
South Florida lawmaker Rep. Juan Carlos Porras (R-Miami) says it may be time to do away with homeowners associations altogether, as more Floridians speak out about rising fees, costly lawsuits, and even arrests tied to HOA disputes. He said this week that he is considering filing legislation in the next session that would abolish HOAs statewide.
