The City of St. Petersburg passed a plan on Thursday to repair Tropicana Field after Hurricane Milton, but it might be more costly than expected.
Back in March, St. Petersburg City Council passed a resolution changing the insurance coverage of the ballpark.
The decision lowered the maximum amount of money an insurance company would pay for a claim from $100 million to $25 million for wind and flood damage.
The decision saved the city $275,000 in annual premiums.
City leaders said the decision was made because model predictions showed a major storm wouldn’t cause enough damage to warrant the higher premiums…but they didn’t know Hurricane Milton was right around the corner.
“I’m shocked. Didn’t think I’d ever see it happen honestly,” said D’Angelo Whicker, a resident in St. Petersburg.
Whicker used to work on the turf at Tropicana Field years ago and said it’s heartbreaking to see how Hurricane Milton ripped off the roof.
“Just actually being on the field where professionals play at and seeing the inside, the locker rooms and everything, and now fast forward and this happens,” Whicker said.