Jupiter, Fla.'s Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium is undergoing a $108M makeover, including new drainage systems, renovated clubhouses, enhanced fan experiences, Wi-Fi, expanded concession stands, and relocated bullpens. Scheduled for completion by 2026, the upgrades will support countywide tourism and amateur baseball events.
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A $108 million makeover of Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., recently got under way, the Palm Beach Post reported Nov. 29.
Workers began laying sod four days earlier at the Major League Baseball (MLB) spring-training ballpark. All of the old grass has been excavated, and the playing field is now 19 in. below where it had been. Crews also are installing a new drainage system.
The work will be done in time for the Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals to play games at the ballpark prior to the opening of the 2025 regular season. The two teams are committed to play spring-training contests there at least through 2049.
"This is going to be a first-class facelift," stadium general manager Mike Bauer said, noting that Roger Dean opened in 1998.
The upgrade is expected to bring Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium to the same level of fan experience that exists at the nearby CACTI Ballpark of Palm Beaches, the spring training home of the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals since the facility opened in 2017.
Fans and Players Will Notice Changes to Ballpark
The original plans called for the project to begin in 2023, but they were changed to allow two minor-league teams to continue playing at Roger Dean without having to relocate. Instead of demolishing the pair of clubhouse buildings and constructing new ones, the plan now is to renovate the existing clubhouses and erect one new structure.
Almost all of the work will be done when teams are not playing, according to the Post.
"The renovated clubhouses will be state-of-the-art," said Bauer. "We will add on both sides to increase the square footage so we can take care of the deficiencies we had. There'll be more space for a larger weight room, more space for physical training, and [for] hydrotherapy."
The construction schedule also calls for other work to continue into early 2025 that will include press box improvements, a new 3,000-sq.-ft. gift shop that is three times the size of the existing one, and a "grab and go" concession stand.
"The fans will love it," Bauer said.
In addition, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium will be adding Wi-Fi, and two new fan spaces will be created for socializing — one in left field and another in center field — that will include bars and shade canopies. The baseball park's bullpens also are due to be relocated to the outfield from the foul territory along the baselines, he added.
All the upgrades come after new 45-ft. video boards were installed at the stadium more than two years ago.
According to a recent report filed with Palm Beach County, most of the work is expected to be finished by August 2026. Michigan-based Barton Malow Builders has been hired as the construction manager, while the stadium's designer is Fawley Bryant Architects in Sarasota, Fla.
Improved Ballpark to Support County's Many Tournaments
The state of Florida, Palm Beach County and the two MLB teams are all paying for the renovations. The county has issued bonds to pay for its share of the cost. They will be repaid over the next 25 years.
Palm Beach County will use bed-tax levies to pay off the bonds. With interest included, the payments are expected to total $178 million. The bed tax, which amounts to 6 percent, is collected from guests who rent homes or stay in hotels for fewer than six months.
According to the Palm Beach Tourist Development Council, having two first-rate minor league stadiums allows the county to attract amateur baseball events to Jupiter that generate more than 29,000 room nights a year for area hotels, which is more than what MLB spring training brings.
CACTI Park and Roger Dean have 26 baseball diamonds between them, providing a significant competitive advantage for the Palm Beach County Sports Commission to secure regional and national baseball tournaments that create countywide tourism impacts.
For the year ending last June 30, the commission supported 33 regional, national and global amateur baseball tournaments. Nearly 1,400 teams and 25,000 athletes participated, and 42,000 spectators attended the events.
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