Parking Lots and Backstretch Flooded, but Hurricane Damage at Tampa Bay Downs is Minimal

For the most part, Tampa Bay Downs survived Hurricane Milton relatively unscathed. According to Margo Flynn, the track's vice president of marketing, the grandstand suffered only minimal damage.

Milton hit the west coast of Florida just a few weeks after the area was hit hard by Hurricane Helene. Milton made land fall at 8:30 p.m. in Siesta Key, Florida about 77 miles south of the track. The storm did not begin to subside until around 11:15.

Flynn also reported that the main track and the turf course came through the storm unscathed.

The worst of the problems was the flooding on the backside.

“There is flooding on the backside to the point we can't get in to assess the damage,” Flynn said Thursday. “We're hoping later today or tomorrow that we can get back here. We just had Helene which produced a considerable storm surge and lots of flooding. And we had a very wet summer on top of that. It hasn't had a chance to dry out. The ground is absolutely saturated. Fortunately, water does drain pretty rapidly around here.”

The track lost power and that, combined with downed power lines and fallen trees, made it impossible to get crews in to assess the damage and to restore power.

Tampa Bay Downs is slated to open Nov. 22. The backstretch was due to open on Oct. 23 but that has been pushed back to Oct. 28. If the floods on the backside don't subside quickly the track may have to further push back the opening of the backstretch. Residents of Oldsmar, Florida, where the track is located were told to evacuate. Those who did not leave were told to shelter in place.

“It could have been worse and it would have been a lot worse if there were horses on the backside,” Flynn said.

The web page for the city of Oldsmar reported that Milton would produce twice as much flooding as Helene.

“I've lived here for 22 years; this is the worst I've ever seen,” Mark O'Hara of St. Petersburg told the local NBC affiliate. “We're experiencing the worst right now. Very loud tornado, but it's coming around on all sides of your house. When the gusts pick up, it sounds like a freight train.”