The new roof at Tropicana Field has been completed ahead of schedule following last year’s deadly Hurricane Milton, which caused extensive damage to the Tampa Bay Rays’ ballpark.
According to Fox 13 Tampa Bay, the original schedule assumed the roof would be completed around the New Year, but last week, crews finished installing the 24 fiberglass composite panels weighing 5,000 pounds each. The new roof is meant to be more weather-resistant and can withstand winds up to 165 miles per hour. It has an expected lifespan of over 20 years.
Related: City of St. Petersburg Estimates $47 Million to Repair Tropicana Field
“This really happened overnight,” said David Peragallo, specifications manager for U.S. projects at Serge Ferrari Group, the company tasked with manufacturing and installing the new roofing panels. “I think it was a successful experience for us and for everybody involved, hopefully including the city and the team, and of course ,the most important, the fans.”
City officials partnered with Serge Ferrari Group for the roof project because of the company’s ability to mobilize in an emergency situation. Serge Ferrari Group had previously worked on projects for European soccer stadiums and several Olympic venues. The roof panels were manufactured at the company’s Germany facility.
With the roof finished ahead of schedule and interior repairs ramping up, city officials said that the repairs to Tropicana Field should be finished by April 2026 — in time for the Rays’ opening day.
“I will be more than happy to attend a game under our roof and have someone to teach me what’s going on and learning a little bit more about baseball, especially in St. Pete. I would love to do that under our roof,” said Peragallo, who would not have described himself as a baseball fan prior to the Tropicana Field project.
Next, crews will shift their focus and work on setting up the backstop netting, outfield wall padding, new audio system and turf. That work is scheduled to be completed by the end of January.
