Hurricane Milton tears open Tropicana Field's roof

Zachary T. Sampson and Chris Urso, Tampa Bay Times on Oct 10, 2024

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

TAMPA, Fla. — Hurricane Milton ripped off large swaths of Tropicana Field’s roof late Wednesday, as the powerful storm tore through the Tampa Bay region.

Tattered pieces of the roof blew in the wind, shining under the exposed purple and white interior lights. The stadium’s catwalk was clearly visible from Interstate 275 — one of the first images of St. Petersburg from the highway.

The roof was damaged on all sides, allowing heavy rains to soak a field never designed to see a night sky. It is made of “six acres of translucent, Teflon-coated fiberglass and supports itself with 180 miles of cables connected by struts,” per the team media guide, and was “built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph.”

The Rays finished the season at their longtime home last month. However if the damage is extensive and long term, there is no drainage system for the field, so games could not be played without a roof. That would also be an issue as rain could accumulate and get into the dugouts, team equipment spaces and service areas of the stadium.

A new Rays stadium is planned to be built in St. Petersburg, but won’t be ready until 2028 at the earliest.

-------