The Tropicana Dome suffered extensive damage to its roof after Hurricane Milton blasted through the area on Oct. 10, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.Gerald Herbert/The Associated Press
The Tampa Bay Rays said it may take weeks to fully assess how much damage was done to Tropicana Field, which saw its roof ripped to shreds by the force of Hurricane Milton as the deadly storm barrelled across much of Florida.
The team said no one was injured when the St. Petersburg ballpark was struck by the storm on Wednesday night. A handful of “essential personnel” were inside Tropicana Field as the roof panels were blown apart, much of the debris falling on the field and seats below.
“Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,” the Rays said Thursday. “In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building. We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are assisting those directly impacted by these storms.”
Milton was the second hurricane to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in the span of two weeks, preceded by Hurricane Helene, which flooded streets and homes on that same side of the state and left at least 230 people dead across the South.
The Rays aren’t scheduled to play in the ballpark again until March 27, when they are supposed to play host to the Colorado Rockies to open the 2025 season.
For as bad as the damage was, the situation at Tropicana Field could have been worse. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had said earlier in the week that there were plans for the ballpark to serve as a “temporary base camp” to support debris cleanup operations and temporarily house some first responders. But those plans were changed as the storm neared, amid concerns that the roof simply would not survive Milton’s wrath.
“They were relocated,” DeSantis said at a Thursday morning news conference. “Tropicana Field is a routine staging area for these things. The roof on that ... I think it’s rated for 110 mph and so the forecast changes, but as it became clear that there was going to be something of that magnitude that was going to be within the distance, they redeployed them out of Tropicana.”
The team previously said that Tropicana Field features the world’s largest cable-supported domed roof, with the panels made of “translucent, Teflon-coated fibreglass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.
The roof was designed to withstand wind of up to 115 mph, according to the Rays. The stadium opened in 1990 at an initial cost $138-million and is due to be replaced in time for the 2028 season with a $1.3-billion ballpark.
Lightning home opener postponed
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not play their home opener Saturday as planned.
The NHL said Thursday that Saturday’s Lightning game against the Carolina Hurricanes was postponed “amid recovery efforts in the Tampa Bay area from the impact of Hurricane Milton.”
No makeup date was immediately announced. The Lightning will open the season at Carolina on Friday, and travelled there earlier this week to get out ahead of the storm.
The change means that Tampa Bay’s home opener is now set for Tuesday against Vancouver.
The Lightning also had their pre-season finale, which was to have been played this past Monday against Nashville, called off because of Milton’s looming arrival. That game was originally set to be played last month and was postponed then because of Hurricane Helene.
There even was a moment of silence in Ottawa before the Senators’ game against the Florida Panthers on Thursday night, paying tribute to those affected by Milton.