SIESTA KEY, Fla. — Hurricane Milton made landfall in Siesta Key in Sarasota County just after 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm.
Originally a tropical storm on Saturday, Milton rapidly intensified in the following days. By early Monday, it had reached Category 2 strength, fluctuating between Category 4 and 5 before settling back to Category 3 as it approached land.
The storm brought deadly winds exceeding 100 mph (160 kph) to much of Florida’s Gulf Coast, including densely populated areas like Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Fort Myers.
In St. Petersburg, powerful winds from Hurricane Milton toppled a large construction crane late Wednesday night. The crane collapsed at the 400 Central Avenue construction site.
The hurricane also damaged Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, tearing open the stadium’s roof. High winds of 101 mph caused significant damage, leaving the stadium looking like a skeleton.
Located in downtown St. Petersburg, the roof is made of Teflon-coated fiberglass and was designed to withstand winds up to 115 mph. At the time, the stadium was hosting thousands of linemen and National Guard members preparing for storm response efforts, but their staging area had been relocated before the damage occurred.
St. Petersburg recorded over 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain, prompting the National Weather Service to issue warnings for flash flooding. Even before making landfall, tornadoes had touched down across Florida.
As crews begin assessing the damage across the Tampa Bay region, some bridges have started to reopen. Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the Howard Frankland Bridge and Gandy Bridge are now open to traffic, having previously closed due to the storm.
