New photos show extensive damage inside Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field
The roof of Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team, was shredded after Hurricane Milton tore through St. Petersburg, Florida, on Wednesday evening.
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — New photos show the extensive damage inside the Tampa Bay Ray’s Tropicana Field, whose covered stadium was suddenly exposed to the wrath of Hurricane Milton when the roof was shredded by the storm’s 100+ mph winds.
The massive repair bill has left questions on whether the formerly-domed stadium is about to become a doomed stadium.
Large sections of the fiberglass roof were ripped apart when winds measured at 101 mph swept through the Tampa region during Hurricane Milton’s landfall.
TAMPA, ST. PETERSBURG LASHED BY 100-MPH WINDS, CATASTROPHIC FLASH FLOODING FROM HURRICANE MILTON
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Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays) -
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays)
No one was injured in the stadium during the hurricane, but the site had been prepared to serve as a staging location for utility workers.
Most of the damage is believed to be non-structural, but everything from the field to video equipment was exposed to heavy rainfall and gusty winds.
The new photos were taken inside the stadium in the days after Milton swept through. Several images show pieces of the roof strewn across the field, stands and dugouts.
Covered areas showed missing or rain-soaked ceiling tiles with debris covering the floor.
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays / FOX Weather)
When – or will? – the stadium be repaired?
And now attention turns to when — or if — the stadium will be repaired.
The cost to repair damage could reach $55 million, according to a report obtained by FOX 13 Tampa Bay. The Rays were already planning on moving into a new stadium for the 2028 season — though delays in the bond approval process now have the team indicating it would be 2029 at the earliest.
TROPICANA FIELD REPAIR COSTS COULD TOP $55 MILLION AFTER HURRICANE MILTON DAMAGE
On Thursday morning, the St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve $23 million to fix the roof because they believe their lease with the Rays required them to, according to FOX 13. The balance would reportedly come from insurance and possible government disaster assistance.
But hours later, the council changed course and delayed the decision. FOX 13 reports the team’s president said the team would have more clarity if the stadium damage was not repaired, and they could reach a settlement agreement with the city for a lump sum.
HURRICANE MILTON’S MARK ON TROPICANA FIELD IN FLORIDA HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR STRONGER STADIUMS
Photo of Tropicana Field after being severely damaged by Hurricane Milton in St. Petersburg, Fla. on October 16, 2024.
(Will Vragovic / Tampa Bay Rays / FOX Weather)
The city council has already voted to spend more than $6 million on storm-proofing Tropicana Field to prevent further damage from future storms.
Repairing the stadium is part of the overall drama surrounding the future of the Rays. With the delay in the county approving bonds for their new stadium, team officials claim the entire stadium project is in jeopardy.
In the meantime, the Rays will play the upcoming 2025 season at George Steinbrenner Field, a minor league facility in Tampa.
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