Hurricane Milton rips off the roof of Tropicana Field as 120 mph winds lash Florida

Tropicana Field lost most of its roof Wednesday evening as Hurricane Milton hit, bringing winds of up to 120 miles per hour to parts of Florida.

The stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida is home to the Tampa Bay Rays. The domed roof — which was made of large, triangular panels made of fiberglass and coated with Teflon — was mostly shredded, with some sections missing entirely, exposing the interior of the only Major League Baseball stadium with a non-retractable roof.

It was not immediately clear whether there was significant damage to the interior of the building.

The Rays said only essential personnel were in the stadium and everyone was safe.

Earlier this week, the Florida Division of Emergency Management said the stadium would be used as a “base camp for 10,000 people at Tropicana Field to support ongoing debris operations and post-landing responders.” Rows of cots had been set up at the ballpark, but all workers and equipment were removed after it was learned that the roof might not remain intact under the force of the Milton winds.

“When it became clear that there was going to be something of this magnitude in the distance, they moved them out of Tropicana,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis told reporters Thursday. “There were no government assets at Tropicana Field.”

According to the Rays' 2024 media guide, the stadium's roof was designed to withstand winds of up to 110 mph.

The Rays finished the 2024 season last month with a record of 80-82. The team announced plans last year to build a new $1.3 billion stadium next to the 34-year-old Tropicana Field, with hopes of moving there by the 2028 season.