ST. PETERSBURG, Florida. – Saint-Pierre City council members will request a report on damages to Tropicana Field and costs related to the storm, including remediation and mitigation, at a meeting scheduled for Thursday.

District Two Councilmember Brandi Gabbard submitted the request and wants the report before the Nov. 21 City Council meeting.

This comes after the City Council approved about $6.5 million to begin the cleanup process at its meeting last week. The money will come from the city’s $22 million deductible with Trop insurers. St. Pete’s current agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays requires the city to make repairs, but that’s different in the new stadium deal.

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Crews removed the roof pieces from the frame. They will remove damaged turf and waterproof areas like the scoreboard, seats and suites. They also want to create a drainage system. Tropicana Field does not currently have one.

All this comes as city leaders approved the new A $1.3 billion stadium in July. Its opening is scheduled for 2028.

Drone footage of roofless Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton.

When asked by council member Richie Floyd if there would be adequate insurance coverage to repair the facility, St. Pete City Administrator Rob Gerdes said he was “confident that it would was unlikely. According to Gerdes, a combination of city funds and insurance money will be used to pay for all repairs. The city is also pursuing reimbursements from FEMA.

At last week’s meeting, some city council members questioned whether this investment in repairs would be worth it if the building would only be used for a few more years. Some also wanted to wait to vote on the millions of dollars needed to begin cleaning and protecting the Trophy until they got more information about the future of the stadium and the extent of the damage. Others said they needed to act quickly to minimize further damage.

“I’m not saying the city council won’t approve it later,” said District 4 council member Lisset Hanewicz. “I’m just saying let’s ask and bring this to us now with the fact that we don’t know not what our maximum exposure is with the Trop We don’t know what our maximum exposure is with the cost to the city in terms of cost.” damage caused by the storm, and that represents $6 million. It’s just a tough pill to swallow. »

District 2 Councilmember Brandi Gabbard agrees.

“We have so many needs throughout the city, and there are no employees other than, you know, the people on the ground who have to operate the building (at the Tropicana),” Gabbard said. “But the staff there have been transferred elsewhere. They don’t work there. They have a place to work. But at the same time we have residents who need a place to live, and I’m torn about this situation. “How can we help our residents? At the same time, how can we spend over $6 million on this facility that may only be used for three more years and may not even be recoverable. “

Gerdes and Blaise Mazzola, the city’s risk manager, added that they had to act quickly or it would affect the insurance claim.

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“I’m also very concerned about any issues that may arise with the insurance company, because I think insurance is also important to our application to FEMA so that this project is eligible, possibly for FEMA repairs,” he said. Gerdes told the city council in October. 31 meeting. “I certainly understand where you’re coming from. If we received a structural report that said, you know, the stadium is a loss, well, you know, of course we would stop the work, but I wouldn’t be here until I ask you today to do so if I had any indication at that time that there were serious and significant structural problems at the stadium Now the situation is fluid, but we are here because we think. that this is most likely subject to further changes, the direction in which we are heading.

“We filed an insurance claim for Tropicana Field,” Mazzola said. “As a policyholder, as an insured, it is essential that we mitigate our losses. I cannot underestimate how essential it is to protect against any future damage. Our policy has obligations in the policy and one of them states to take reasonable steps to protect and cover any covered property from future damage. By performing the work they are going to describe, we are ensuring that we are able to protect the structure from future damage. future damages. If you don’t, it could potentially be very problematic for the claim. We could have problems with the coverage.

Contractors, who have been assessing the damage at the Trop for nearly three weeks, will notify the city’s Engineering and Capital Improvements Department of what they found by the end, according to City Architect Raul Quintana. of the week. This includes options for replacing the roof, whether the Trop can be redone, how long it might take and details of the overall damage.

A drone image shows the dome of Tropicana Field being torn off due to Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Florida, October 10, 2024. (Photo by BRYAN R. SMITH/AFP via Getty Images)

The written report will also include findings on the structural stability of the roof, roof superstructure, cables, beams, concrete ring beam, columns and then each of the elements, electrical systems, systems mechanicals, plumbing systems, architectural finishes and more, Quintana said.

If the repairs are not completed by the Rays’ season, Major League Baseball has said it wants them to play home games in the area, possibly at one of the Rays’ many training sites. spring. MLB hopes to have a plan for the Rays’ next season by Christmas.

The City Council will also talk about the recovery process after the two hurricanes and Florida Division of Emergency Management disaster relief funding for the storms at its 1:30 p.m. meeting Thursday.

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