Report: Bucs Stadium, Facilities in Tampa Avoided Major Damage from Hurricane Milton

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' stadium and practice facilities "seem to have sustained only cosmetic damage" after the landfall of Hurricane Milton, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported.

Rapoport noted that "site surveys are still being conducted."

Videos posted on social media appeared to show flooding on the field of Raymond James Stadium on Wednesday.

The hurricane appeared to have caused further damage to Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays. Parts of the MLB stadium's roof were torn off during Wednesday's storm, per Zachary T. Sampson and Chris Urso of the Tampa Bay Times.

The damage has the potential to impact the Rays heading into the 2025 season. As reported by Sampson and Urso, "there is no drainage system for the field, so games could not be played without a roof."

In the short term there could also be further damage to Tropicana Field caused by rain impacting "dugouts, team equipment spaces and service areas," Sampson and Urso noted.

The Rays are planning to move to a new ballpark in St. Petersburg ahead of the 2028 season, but construction on the new stadium has not yet begun.

The Buccaneers, who have played at Raymond James Stadium since 1998, are on a lease set to expire in 2028, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times.

In July, Stroud theorized that the stadium may need to put in "significant upgrades" to convince the Bucs to remain tenants in Tampa Bay. Rapoport's reports of relatively limited storm damage will come as a relief if leadership is eyeing a new deal.

The Buccaneers' next home game is scheduled for Monday, Oct. 21, against the Baltimore Ravens. It remains to be seen if the "cosmetic damage" will cause this date to be moved ahead of the Monday Night Football matchup.

Hurricane Milton, which came less than two weeks after the destruction of Hurricane Helene, left three million Florida residents without power while causing 150 tornadoes and multiple deaths, according to Terry Spencer and Kate Payne of the Associated Press. The extent of damage from the storm is still being determined.