The roof at Tropicana Field, the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, sustained major damage because of high winds associated with Hurricane Milton, which made landfall Wednesday along Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 3 storm.
Pictures and video on social media showed most of the fabric covering the domed roof torn off.
The ballpark in St. Petersburg was designated as a staging site for first responders and state and local emergency management services aiding with debris removal. The facility was set up to host 10,000 people, with cots arranged on the playing surface.
Capt. Garth Swingle of St. Petersburg Fire Rescue told ABC News there has been contact with the people inside and they are safe. It wasn’t immediately known if there was damage inside the stadium.
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The roof is made from ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), a polymer that’s stronger than glass but significantly lighter. The metal frame appeared to be unscathed.
According to the Rays, the Trop was built to withstand winds of up to 115 mph. The roof is supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts in what the team calls the “world’s largest cable-supported domed roof.”
The stadium opened in 1990 and initially cost $138 million. It is due to be replaced in time for the 2028 season with a $1.3 billion ballpark.
St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches of rain due to the storm, prompting the National Weather Service to warn of flash flooding. About 90 minutes after making landfall, Milton was downgraded to a Category 2 storm. By late Wednesday, the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of about 105 mph and storm surge warnings were in effect for parts of Florida’s Gulf and Atlantic coastlines.
Concerns over the storm and its effects on Florida forced the cancellation of Friday’s preseason game in Orlando, Florida, between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA said. Orlando played at San Antonio on Wednesday night and was scheduled to return to central Florida on Thursday. A team spokesperson said the Magic now will stay an extra day in San Antonio before departing Friday.
The NFL’s Jaguars modified their London travel plans Thursday because of the storm, pushing back their departure from Jacksonville to later in the evening. The team also is moving practice back by several hours Thursday.
Countless college and high school sporting events in Florida also have been canceled or postponed because of the storm, which forecasters said is likely to bring drenching rain across a wide swath of the state.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
