The Tampa Bay Rays said it may take weeks to fully assess how much damage has been done to Tropicana Field, which saw its roof torn off by the force of Hurricane Milton as the deadly storm tore through much of Florida.
The team said no one was injured when the St. Petersburg stadium was hit by the storm. A handful of “essential personnel” were inside Tropicana Field when the roof panels were blown apart, much of the debris falling on the field and seats below.
“Over the coming days and weeks, we expect to be able to assess the true condition of Tropicana Field,” the Rays said. “In the meantime, we are working with law enforcement to secure the building. We ask for your patience at this time, and we encourage those who can to donate to organizations in our community that are helping those directly affected by these storms.”
Milton was the second hurricane to hit Florida’s Gulf Coast in two weeks, preceded by Hurricane Helene, which flooded streets and homes on that same side of the state and left at least 230 people dead across the South.
The Rays are not scheduled to play in the stadium again until March 27, when they are expected to host the Colorado Rockies to open the 2025 season.
Because as bad as the damage was, the situation at Tropicana Field could have been worse. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said earlier in the week that there were plans for the stadium to serve as a “temporary base camp” to support debris cleanup operations and temporarily house some first responders. But those plans were changed as the storm approached, amid concerns that the roof simply wouldn’t survive Milton’s fury.
“They were moved,” DeSantis said at a news conference. “Tropicana Field is a routine staging area for these things. The roof on that … I think it’s rated for 110 mph and so the forecast is changing, but as it became clear that there was going to be something of that magnitude that was going to be in the distance , they redeployed them from Tropicana. There were no state assets that were inside Tropicana Field.”
The team previously said Tropicana Field has the world’s largest cable-supported dome roof, with the panels made of “divisible, Teflon-coated fiber glass” supported by 180 miles of cables connected by struts.
The roof was designed to withstand winds of up to 115 mph, according to the Rays. The stadium opened in 1990 at an initial cost of $138 million and is being replaced in time for the 2028 season with a $1.3 billion stadium.
Flash home opener postponed
The Tampa Bay Lightning will not play their home game as scheduled.
The NHL said the Lightning game against the Carolina Hurricanes was postponed “amid recovery in the Tampa Bay area from the impact of Hurricane Milton.”
No makeup date was immediately announced. The Lightning will open the season at Carolina, and traveled there early to get out ahead of the storm.
The change means Tampa Bay’s home opener is now set against Vancouver.
The Lightning also had their preseason finale, which was to be played against Nashville, canceled due to the looming arrival of Milton. That game was originally set to be played last month and was postponed then due to Hurricane Helene.
Magical return delayed
The Orlando Magic spent Thursday in San Antonio and planned to return home on Friday, a day behind their original schedule for the week.
The Magic played a preseason game in San Antonio on Wednesday night. They had planned to fly home on Thursday, arriving in Orlando in the early afternoon – those plans have been scrapped because of Milton.
Instead, the Magic scheduled practice in San Antonio on Thursday and have tentative plans to fly back to Orlando on Friday. A preseason game that was scheduled to be played Friday in Orlando between the Magic and the New Orleans Pelicans has been canceled and will not be rescheduled.
“There are always things bigger than the game of basketball and that’s what we have to keep our perspective on,” Magic coach Jamahl Mosley said. “Knowing that there are families and homes and situations that are going through a difficult time right now, we have to be mindful of that and be aware of that.”
The Magic-Pelicans game is the second NBA preseason matchup to be hit by Milton. A game scheduled for Thursday in Miami between the Heat and Atlanta Hawks has been postponed until October 16 due to storm concerns.
UCF, USF games still running
A pair of college football games are set to be played in cities that dealt with some of Milton’s worst wind and rain, although there were some logistical issues that were still being discussed in the aftermath of the storm.
In Tampa, USF prepares to play host to Memphis – a game that was pushed back from Friday to Saturday. And in Orlando, UCF is preparing to host Cincinnati.
Both games are scheduled to have 3:30 pm kickoffs.
