Now that the new year dust has settled, it’s time to dig into what’s sure to be an momentous 2025 in Tampa Bay — from major sports stadium decisions to city-shifting development.
Tropicana Field repairs + new stadium
Between rebuilding the Trop after Hurricane Milton shredded its roof, and the ongoing funding process, there’s a lot to follow from the Rays franchise.
Earlier this week, we shared that the team’s leadership sent a letter to the city saying they expect the stadium to be repaired in time for the 2026 season. Estimators say replacing the roof and making other fixes will cost about $56+ million.
On another note, The City of St. Pete and Pinellas County have both approved bond sales to fund the new facility. Now, we wait for the Rays to fulfill their parts of the deal by Monday, March 31.
West Riverwalk expansion
A new era is dawning for the West River. And we’ll be here to document every step.
Right now, the transformational project is still in the design phase. The 5-mile-long project will plug gaps in what will be a 12.2-mile multi-use pathway, plus add a living shoreline and enhance sidewalks. Take a peek at the plans.
New Howard Frankland Bridge
The long-awaited new Howard Frankland bridge is projected to open this spring after about four years of construction.
What can drivers expect from the $865+ million bridge? The new structure will have eight lanes: four for normal traffic, and four express lanes, plus a parallel bicycle/pedestrian pathway.
Officials hope it will ease congestion for the ~250,000 drivers who travel between Hillsborough and Pinellas counties every single day.
Rebuilding after the hurricanes + flooding mitigation
After last year’s back-to-back hurricanes, perhaps the biggest story of the year — and the most personal to us — is how Tampa and St. Pete will rebuild.
The disaster cleanup is well underway, but some parts of our area have months or years to go. For example: The fort, dog beach and fishing pier reopened this week at Fort De Soto, while the remainder of the Tierra Verde park is still closed for repairs.
Many homeowners and business owners that flooded out or suffered other damage are still waiting for permits and insurance payments to start the rebuilding process.
In addition, we’ll be following both governments’ work to reduce future flooding — like the South Howard Flood Relief Project which passed last fall.
Potential Super Bowl announcement
Okay, this one might be a long shot. But we’re hoping this may be the year Tampa secures another Super Bowl hosting gig.
The Cigar City last hosted the biggest game in football back in 2021 — a peak pandemic year. In a post-Super Bowl press conference NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the seamless experience working with TBAY may factor into future city selection decisions.
“I think that will be a big consideration in (owners’) minds when they do sit down and vote,” he told reporters. “We recognize it may not be the full extent of economic benefit, but in some ways this whole pandemic and the ability to work through this, is really going to be a reflection on this community’s can-do attitude and how they get things done.”
The NFL will likely announce the 2029 Super Bowl host city in October. We’ll be watching.
