One of the more enduring images to emerge from Hurricane Milton’s aftermath was the Tropicana Field roof in St. Petersburg, Florida, being ripped away during the storm Wednesday.
A report on The Athletic (paid subscription) on Friday, Oct. 10, said that just days before the hurricane, officials displayed worry that the roof would not hold up against the projected winds associated with a Category 3 hurricane.
The stadium, home of the MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays, is 34 years old and the Teflon fabric roof has an expected service life of 25 years, a principal at Geiger Engineers, the firm that installed the roof in 1990, told The Athletic.
Before the hurricane, Tropicana Field was designated as a staging site for first responders and power linemen in the area to help with storm recovery. Limited personnel were on hand as the roof began to tear away and no injuries were reported from the incident.
The Rays are scheduled to move into a new stadium in 2028, and it is unclear if the stadium will be ready for the 2025 season, which begins in late March. Assessments will continue to determine the level of damage to the roof components beyond the fabric tearing away. A Geiger representative says the roof could be ready for the season if the rest of the components are not damaged.
The roof fabric measures six acres and is like the fabric used at the Metrodome in Minneapolis, which collapsed after a heavy snowstorm in 2010.
Dave Lubach is executive editor of the facility market.
