Hurricane Milton unleashed fierce winds overnight on Wednesday, severely damaging the roof of Tropicana Field, the home stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays. The facility had been designated for use by emergency workers responding to the storm.
Dramatic aerial footage captured by drones and television showed significant portions of the stadium’s paneled roof missing, ripped off by winds exceeding 100 mph. The interior of the stadium’s playing field and stands were exposed through the openings left by the removed panels, but it remains unclear if there was major damage inside.
Additionally, high winds caused a construction crane to topple at 400 Central Ave., located about three-quarters of a mile from Tropicana Field. Fortunately, no injuries were reported in that area of downtown St. Petersburg.
Just a day prior, the Florida Division of Emergency Management announced it was setting up a base camp at Tropicana Field for a workforce of 10,000 to assist with debris removal and post-storm recovery efforts.
Governor Ron DeSantis noted that the stadium’s roof was designed to withstand winds of up to 110 mph, prompting precautionary measures as the forecast indicated even stronger gusts. Accordingly, all personnel and equipment were removed from Tropicana Field.
Typically bustling with playoff baseball in October, this year the Rays finished the season with a record of 80-82, marking their first sub-.500 season since 2017 and resulting in their absence from the American League playoffs.
In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the Rays expressed their primary concern for the community and their staff. They indicated that they are grateful there were no injuries associated with the damage to the stadium and that they would begin evaluating the full extent of the damage in the days and weeks to come, while working with law enforcement to secure the facility.
The Rays are set to kick off the 2025 season at home against the Colorado Rockies on March 27.