Tropicana Field repairs hurricane-damaged roof with fiberglass panels

Repairs to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, home of Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays, took a large step forward last week when Serge Ferrari Group completed a roof replacement. The roof, damaged in Hurricane Milton in 2024, is now designed to help the stadium’s resilience against future severe weather events, the city announced.

The storm destroyed the stadium dome, leading to interior damage that forced the team to play its 2025 season away from home. The city is footing the bill for the almost $60 million in repairs that span turf installation, a new audiovisual system, lighting and the new roof, made of a fiberglass composite membrane. 

The 24 roof panels from Tenseo, each weighing approximately 5,000 pounds, are made from fiberglass yarns and a coating of polytetrafluoroethylene, or PTFE. Rolls of the membrane were fabricated at Serge Ferrari Group’s facility in Germany. The rolls were shipped to the project’s fabricator, Enclos Tensile Structures, for the assembly. Geiger Engineers of New York led the architectural design and engineering. 

Serge Ferrari said its previous work on stadiums gave the project team confidence in the durability and performance of the roof panels. 

The firm worked closely with the fabricator to ensure requirements were met, according to David Peragallo, senior specification manager for North America at Serge Ferrari. Those requirements included completion before the 2026 MLB season begins in late March. The new membrane had to integrate with the existing structure while still meeting stringent wind and safety requirements, Serge Ferrari Group said. 

The new roof membrane is engineered for long-term durability, with an expected service life exceeding the 20 years requested by the city, Serge Ferrari said. “The result is a safer, more durable facility with reduced maintenance needs and a strengthened asset for the community,” it said. 

“This project was a massive undertaking,” Tampa Bay Mayor Kenneth Welch said in a statement. “We look forward to completing the remaining repairs and welcoming fans back for the 2026 season.