ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Even in its potential demise, Tropicana Field has proven to be problematic.

One of the most ridiculed stadiums in the history of Major League Baseball, the Trop’s shredded roof has served as the symbol of Hurricane Milton’s destructive path through the west coast of Florida. And now a baseball team, a city, a county and countless fans throughout Tampa Bay are being held hostage by the ballpark’s uncertain future.

The issue of whether the Trop can/should be repaired is just the first in a series of cascading questions involving cost, insurance, temporary facilities, MLB requirements, upcoming elections and, possibly, the fate of a proposed $6 billion redevelopment deal with a state-of-the-art stadium as its centerpiece.

The roller-coaster ride began on Thursday when the St. Petersburg City Council grudgingly offered to pay nearly $6.5 million to get Tropicana Field waterproofed ahead of any potential repairs that may or may not be made once engineers and other experts decide whether the facility can be fixed.

“The city has some very difficult decisions it’s going to have to make,” said council member Ed Montanari, who is term limited and running for a state House seat. “This (decision) we made (on Thursday) was one of the easier ones compared to what’s ahead.”

The council’s angst over mitigating water damage at the stadium is emblematic of all the other questions yet to come. The city had to act quickly to satisfy insurance company requirements and to prevent further damage, but council members had to do so without knowing if the stadium is still useable, how much it might cost to repair and whether the Rays are in favor of pouring money into a facility that is scheduled to be torn down in three years.

With that blind faith choice as a starting point, here are seven other interconnected issues that need to be quickly resolved:

1. What to do with Tropicana?

Even if consultants determine the stadium is structurally sound and the roof can be replaced, there is the question of cost, insurance payouts, potential FEMA assistance and whether its worth repairing a building slated for demolition in the winter of 2027. The city has a $22 million deductible on its insurance policy and there are no guarantees the deductible and a full $25 million insurance payment would be enough to bring the Trop up to speed.

Despite the uncertainty, city officials seem fairly certain this is their best option.

“We hope to have the Rays back in Tropicana Field as soon as possible,” city administrator Rob Gerdes said.

2. Why invest in a doomed building?

St. Pete’s use agreement with the Rays requires the city to provide the team with an adequate facility. If Tropicana is not salvageable or the City Council does not approve the necessary spending, the city would be in breach of that contract.

The Rays conceivably could play at spring training facilities in Clearwater, Dunedin, Tampa, Sarasota or Disney World, but there could be a cost in terms of upgrades. (Al Lang Stadium in St. Petersburg would require massive renovations to get major-league ready.)

Also, those spring facilities generally have capacity in the 8,500-11,000 range. The Rays drew an average of 16,515 fans per game in 2024. Does that mean St. Pete would be on the hook for the lost revenue of 5,500 or more fans for each of the team’s 81 home games because it was not provided an MLB-sized stadium?

Council member Richie Floyd asked city attorney Jackie Kovilaritch during Thursday’s meeting if the Rays could sue St. Pete and what the implications were if the Trop was not fixed. Kovilaritch parsed her answer to say the city has “certain obligations” under the use agreement. When Floyd said that sounded vague, Kovilaritch responded:

“The reason I’m being that vague is to best protect the city’s interests.”

Which sounds like she has concerns about a possible lawsuit.

3. What do the Rays want?

Good question. They have been virtually silent for three weeks. They have had little to say publicly, and government officials also seem to be in the dark about the team’s desires or intentions. There was no team representative at Thursday’s council meeting.

Considering St. Pete and Pinellas County recently agreed to spend more than $600 million in public funds for a new ballpark (not to mention infrastructure costs and turning over development revenues to the team) giving the cold shoulder to your partners could be interpreted as an ungracious act. Even if the team is still exploring its options, the cone of silence has been somewhat deafening.

4. Where does MLB fit in the equation?

Considering the Yankees, Blue Jays or Phillies would need to move, or at least make an accommodation, for their Class-A minor-league teams if the Rays wanted to play in Tampa, Dunedin or Clearwater, the league presumably would intercede on the team’s behalf to find a solution. Things could be trickier with the MLB Players Association, which would want assurances that alternate ballparks were up to speed.

When the Blue Jays were forced to stay in the U.S. due to Covid in 2021, they spent April and May in Dunedin but eventually relocated to a Triple-A park in Buffalo, at least in part, because of heat, rain and inferior facilities at TD Ballpark.

5. What about the delayed bond votes?

Both the St. Pete City Council and the Pinellas County Commission opted to delay votes that would kick off the process of selling bonds to pay for the new stadium. The delays are only for a month, but they could threaten the schedule for ground-breaking in early 2025, and possibly much more. The city, county and Rays have certain timetables they need to meet financially. And that’s not the only concern.

Blithely ignoring the many other factors at play, commissioner Chris Latvala suggested during Tuesday’s commission meeting that the board should consider voting against the bond issue if the Rays choose to play in an alternate stadium outside of Pinellas County. Coincidentally or not, Latvala and his family have had friendly relations with the Philadelphia Phillies, who have been seeking money from the county commission to renovate the same ballpark/facilities Latvala says would be perfect for the Rays.

6. Could the delay kill the new stadium deal?

In a word, yes. When the city and county approved the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field land in the summer, the presumption was that the bond votes would take place before Tuesday’s election. Now that the votes have been delayed until later in November, the makeup of the council and the commission will have changed. That’s likely not a problem in St. Pete because new council members will not be sworn in until January. The commission is another story.

Janet Long is term limited and Charlie Justice is facing re-election. Both voted to fund the ballpark back in July when the commission approved the deal 5-2. If incoming commissioners opt not to approve the bond issue, it could potentially fail 4-3.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a slam dunk,” said Long, when asked if she was confident the bond issue would pass under a new commission.

And if the county or city decline to move ahead with the bonds?

“The deal will fall apart,” chief assistant county attorney Don Crowell said.

7. How will the stadium uncertainty affect the Rays?

Potentially, in a variety of ways. First of all, the Rays are expected to have one of the best pitching staffs in the majors next season. It is not going to do them any favors to play in a spring park with hitter-friendly dimensions. When the Blue Jays were at TD Ballpark for those two months in 2021, there was an average of 11.1 runs combined per game in Dunedin versus 7.9 runs per game on the road.

Playing dozens of games in the Florida heat and humidity also will not be conducive to long-term success.

And, finally, the Rays are on the hook for paying for $700 million of the new ballpark. If they lose revenue because they’re in a smaller stadium or they are far away from their season ticket base, that’s going to be a problem. And Stuart Sternberg has been talking to potential investors with the idea that he could sell shares in the team to help fund his portion of the new stadium costs. Will investors be turned off by a team with an uncertain stadium situation?

None of these questions take into account the possibility that insurance carriers might try to wiggle out of their obligation because Tropicana’s roof had outlived its expected lifespan, or whether season ticket holders will bail on the team if the Trop is not fixed, or whether potential free agents will avoid the Rays because they have no desire to play in a temporary, outdoor stadium situation.

All these years — not to mention insults — later, who would have guessed how much the Rays and their fans would miss Tropicana Field?

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