The destruction Hurricane Milton left behind is now coming to light as the category 4 storm vacates Florida. Yesterday morning, surfaced photographs and videos from local news stations revealed Tropicana Field, the enclosed stadium completed by HOK in 1990 for the Tampa Bay Rays, and its roof was ripped to shreds.
A construction crane also fell onto the Tampa Bay Times’ office building, among other stories of destruction. Raymond James Stadium, home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play, was also badly damaged by the storm, a category 3 when it made landfall.
Large sports venue often serve as shelters during storms and natural disasters. The Tampa Bay Rays shared on X that Tropicana Field would not however be used for this purpose. Ahead of the storm, Governor Ron DeSantis pulled an audible and announced the Florida Division of Emergency Management would establish a 10,000-person base camp at Tropicana Field “to support ongoing debris operations and post-landfall responders.”
Today, the scenes of devastation at Tropicana Field after Milton echoed what Hurricane Katrina did to the Superdome in New Orleans circa 2005, a structure that was recently repaired by Trahan Architects.
In a statement the Tampa Bay Rays said “Our priority is supporting our community and our staff. We are fortunate and grateful that no on was hurt by the damage to our ballpark last night. Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true conditions of Tropicana Field.”
Rays officials said it will take several weeks to assess the full level of damage to Tropicana Field. The Rays further noted that the organization’s main concerns include potential water damage because Tropicana Field, an enclosed environment shielded from the outdoors, doesn’t have a drainage system.
The roof at Tropicana Field was designed to withstand 115 mile per hour winds; the structure is touted as “the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof.” The dome consists of six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass. It “supports itself with more than 180 miles of cables connected by struts.” Now, much of the Teflon-coated fiberglass has been ripped off by hurricane winds. The framing is left exposed to the elements, and so is the artificial field below.
As Hurricane Milton tore through the Tampa Bay area late Wednesday, strong winds ripped off large swaths of Tropicana Field’s roof in St. Petersburg. These drone photos show the damage: https://t.co/dn4xeiT6AJ pic.twitter.com/APhVxiOfE9
— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) October 10, 2024
The baseball stadium, now 34 years old, was already slated to be phased out and replaced with a new home for the Tampa Bay Rays. The deal for the new arena was approved by Pinellas County Commissioners in July. Gas Plant Stadium is slated for completion in 2028.
Damage was also sustained to the Tampa Bay Times’ office building in St.Petersburg. A construction crane from the Residences at 400 Central, a 46-story skyscraper being built across the street, lost a 100-foot long arm that fell onto the 8-story office building leaving behind a large, gaping hole. The crane was rated to withstand winds up to 110 miles per hour.
See photos of crane that smashed into Times’ building during Hurricane Milton https://t.co/QQwtLE4Clu
— Tampa Bay Times (@TB_Times) October 10, 2024
Elsewhere in the region, entire neighborhoods are submerged in water, and clean-up and disaster relief work is already underway.
As of the time of publication CBS News confirmed 16 deaths, and many more injuries from the wrath of Hurricane Milton.