Hurricane Milton, a violent Category 3 storm that made landfall Wednesday night near Siesta Key, apparently didn't cause major destruction to the Orioles' spring training complex in Sarasota.
Sustained winds reaching 120 mph tore the fabric roof off Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. The Ed Smith Stadium complex appears to have been spared.
The storm weakened to a Category 1 as it moved through the state this morning.
“We are evaluating the Sarasota complex at this time, but initial assessments have not yet uncovered significant damage,” Orioles senior vice president of communications Jennifer Grondahl said in a statement. “FP&L (Florida Power & Light) is activating from our facility to help restore power to our community. We will share additional ways in which we intend to support the response efforts as plans are finalized.”
FP&L is using the facility as a staging center and local officials marked it as a sandbag distribution center. The Orioles evacuated personnel Monday at Ed Smith and the minor league complex at Twin Lakes Park.
