Inside the Rays Stadium Solutions Evolution • St. Pete Catalyst

Removing — and repairing — what's left of Tropicana Field's mangled roof was a priority for St. Petersburg officials and contractors in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Milton.

Documents received from the catalyst show that construction officials met with at least one specialized construction company the day after Milton landed. In an email dated Friday, Oct. 11, sent after visiting the site, Javier Rattia, partner director of Dunn Lightweight, noted that his company is on a “very tight schedule” to complete the Tropicana Field roof to be dismantled and replaced in time for the 2025 season.

“We will be shipping a portion of the materials by air and using the majority of our inventory to accomplish this monumental task,” Rattia wrote. “We understand that some internal processes need to be carried out first, but due to the emergency we can start the dismantling phase next Monday (October 14th).”

Dunn's proposal changed the following day. An Oct. 12 agreement was limited to the dismantling and removal of the “PVC roofing material for disposal by the city,” at a cost not to exceed $548,534.

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred recently told a podcast host that the Trop's lack of a roof was “particularly problematic” in a building not designed for drainage. “We had reached a point where the useful life of this facility was short. Really expensive repairs and a short asset lifespan, I don’t have to connect the dots for you,” he added.

Clearing debris and repairing the stadium dome were priorities the day after Milton landed.

In the days following Milton, the city hired local construction services firm Hennessy to assess damage as part of the insurance claims process. Officials also turned to Global Rope Access (GRA) for stadium debris removal.

Raul Quintana, city architect, told GRA leadership in an Oct. 13 email that there is “a lot to discuss as it involves work we are not familiar with.” “I also want to better understand the level of coordination required with the staff at the (Tampa Bay) Rays facilities.”

The city decided to hire GRA by Oct. 16, subject to the Rays' approval. Officials issued a purchase order for $416,353 on Oct. 21 for the demolition of roofing materials.

Recently leaked videos on social media show roofing material hanging from fallen cables and signage. The Teflon-coated fabric and other debris remained scattered across the Trop's bleachers and field — still lined with cots housing storm responders.

The contract includes labor for seven GRA rope technicians who arrived in St. Petersburg on October 23. They will use special rope access equipment to remove what remains of the dome.

Asked Thursday afternoon whether the Rays would play another inning at the Trop, Mayor Ken Welch said, “That’s another issue we’re working on. We meet regularly with the Rays. Met with them this morning.”

He added that “our city’s resilience is the most important thing we are focused on right now.”

The interior of the stadium was exposed to the elements for over two weeks.

Welch said the city still lacks a final estimate of the cost of the damage. He also noted that responsibility for insuring and repairing a new $1.37 billion ballpark scheduled to open in January would fall to the Rays.

Welch said starting construction on the new facility before January is among a “range of options.” That includes playing in spring training and minor league stadiums in Tampa, Clearwater and Dunedin. Fans have considered Al Lang Stadium in downtown St. Petersburg — home of the Rays' own Tampa Bay Rowdies — as a dark option.

“The agreement contains a number of options,” Welch said. “And once we have more definitive information on the cost, I think we'll say more about it. In the new stadium we would not be responsible for any of these repairs. And that is one of the strongest points of the new agreement.”

Much of the national storm-related spotlight focused on a decapitated Trop and a luxury condo tower's construction crane crashing into a neighboring building. Welch said all city stakeholders must work together to overcome two unprecedented “acts of God” within 13 days.

“My focus is again on the 15,000 properties that were damaged,” Welch added. “We are rebuilding our economy – people who have lost their jobs and homes, and neighborhoods that will likely be changed forever.

“I think we have good partnerships in the private sector… we’re really all in this together.”