Age of Tropicana Field's roof played a role in damage from Hurricane Milton, stadium engineer says

In the days before Hurricane Milton, top officials at one of the companies that built Tropicana Field became “concerned” that the stadium's roofing would not be able to withstand the historic winds predicted for the Tampa Bay region. That concern proved justified when videos emerged Wednesday night showing the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' home field being ripped off, exposing the once-covered stadium in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The roof has never been replaced in the more than 34 years since it was installed, even though it is “long past its intended useful life,” said David Campbell, principal at Geiger Engineers, the group that built the roof for the stadium's opening in 2010 installed in 1990. He said the lifespan of the Teflon fabric is about 25 years.

“They plan to live in a new building in the not too distant future. And I think they were hoping to pull it off,” Campbell said, noting that while the fabric had endured a “significant storm,” it was designed to “safely withstand” the damage it still withstood.

“But,” he added, “the material is now very, very old.”

The team plans to begin construction on a new ballpark on an adjacent site in St. Petersburg in 2025 and hopes to have Gas Plant Stadium open by Opening Day in 2028.

As for how long it would take to repair Tropicana Field's roof, Campbell said it was too early to give a specific timeline, especially because it would depend on whether the venue's primary structure suffered significant damage. While he said the struts and cable networks “appear to be fine,” a more thorough condition assessment is needed to determine an accurate timeline for repairs.

The Rays open the next home season in less than six months, on March 27th. It is unclear whether the damage sustained on Wednesday can be repaired before the start of the season.

While the team issued a statement, they declined to comment on issues specifically related to the roof or possible structural damage to the venue. The city of St. Petersburg, which owns Tropicana Field, also declined to comment on the roof, saying in a written statement: “We are extremely grateful that no one was injured at Tropicana Field in the coming days.” “For weeks and weeks, the city will work with the Tampa Bay Rays to thoroughly assess the condition of the ballpark and determine a path forward.”

Campbell was part of the team that built the roof nearly four decades ago. He clarified that while there were no “life safety concerns” associated with preserving the aging fabric, wear and tear over the years would make it more vulnerable to significant damage in high winds.

The Rays, who operate the ballpark, said only essential personnel were at the venue Wednesday night and that everyone was safe and was safe Thursday morning as the Category 3 hurricane passed. Contrary to initial reports, the Rays said the ballpark was not used as a shelter during the storm.

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– Tampa Bay Rays (@RaysBaseball) October 10, 2024

Drone footage of the interior of Tropicana Field after the storm. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/AFP via Getty Images)

According to the Rays, Tropicana Field's roof was made of six acres of clear Teflon-coated fiberglass. It was similar to the fiberglass fabric roof of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome, which once stood in Minneapolis and collapsed in 2010 due to snow. Replacing the Metrodome roof took five months and cost $23 million. Campbell said Tropicana Field is similar in size but has fewer fields. This could result in a faster installation, although this is not guaranteed.

“That would be feasible if the primary structure is operational,” Campbell said. “We could enclose the dome again in five or six months.”

Geiger has served as a consultant on numerous issues for Tropicana Field over the years, Campbell said, from maintaining security for World Wrestling Entertainment events to the roof to replacing the center dome, a small structure at the top center of the Dome. Campbell said the Rays hired other companies to inspect the fabric, but he reviewed their reports.

“The stress of high wind combined with the damage to the fabric is difficult on the tension membrane,” Campbell said when asked what he concluded from these reports. “And as it gets older, particularly if it is very advanced in its life, its tensile strength decreases – essentially its resistance to the propagation of small cracks. Everyone in the industry knows that.”

According to the Rays' 2024 media guide, the roof of Tropicana Field could withstand winds of 115 miles per hour. On Wednesday evening the gusts reached speeds of around 175 km/h. However, Campbell noted that the method of measuring wind speed has changed since the stadium was built. That means it's hard to say whether Hurricane Milton's winds were stronger than the facility expected.

Still, Campbell said he believes the roof, when new, was built to withstand the aforementioned 115 mph winds. It was originally designed for Wednesday weather.

“The loss of fabric is not a life safety scenario at all,” Campbell said. “It poses a risk of damage… It's not really surprising that people are trying to get through it as long as possible. I can’t question that.”

The Rays said in their statement that it will take weeks to assess the damage caused by the storm. For this reason, it is still too early to say how long this reconstruction project will take.

(Top photo: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)