Getty Image / Julio Aguilar
Hurricane Milton made landfall in west-central Florida on Wednesday night, just south of Tampa, Florida on the gulf coast. One of the strongest storms in recent memory is projected to do billions of dollars worth of damage and has already claimed casualties on American soil.
That damage tally went up considerably late Wednesday night when the roof of Tropicana Field suffered serious damage. It must be seen to be believed.
Milton made landfall near Siesta Key in Sarasota County south of Tampa as a Category 3 storm. The storm had reached the highest intensity, Category 5, in the Gulf of Mexico multiple times through the past few days, but thankfully weakened before it hit Florida. That being said, Category 3 storms do a lot of damage too, as we saw at Tropicana Field.
Take a look at these videos of the Trop, which was battered by winds well over 100mph.
Roof is gone at Tropicana Field #milton #rays
Video by: Nick Friedman@mysuncoast @WESH pic.twitter.com/VME6Um351J
— Nick Burch (@PageWebber) October 10, 2024
Now that the sun is up, here’s a 360-degree view of the damage Hurricane Milton caused to Tropicana Field’s roof and the inside of the ballpark. Absolutely heartbreaking 💔 pic.twitter.com/ZCtPHv6rE9
— Ryan Bass (@Ry_Bass) October 10, 2024
Tropicana Field, opened in 1990, had been set up as a shelter for the first responders and electrical linemen that are expected to flock to the area in the next few days. Unfortunately, it won’t be used for that anymore.
Tropicana Field, widely considered one of the worst venues in all of baseball, is set to be replaced. A new stadium, right now referred to as Gas Plant Stadium, is set to open in 2028 in downtown St. Pete.
Obviously, more important things are taking up the attention of local government officials, but at this point it seems questionable if the Rays will be able to play at Tropicana Field next season.