ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – When Hurricane Milton shredded the roof of Tropicana Field in 2024, it left a gaping hole in the St. Petersburg skyline.

Rebuilding it required a specialized team from across the country—and for ironworker Christopher Torres, it meant a view of the Bay Area that few will ever have the opportunity to experience.

Torres, a member of Ironworkers Local 48, traveled from Oklahoma City to help restore the iconic home of the Tampa Bay Rays.

But when he first stepped onto the job site, he realized this wasn’t a standard construction project.

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“I showed up and I was like, ‘What the hell are we doing here?'” Torres laughed. “It’s a tarp. I’ve never done anything that big.”

‘The Ground Blurs Out’

The restoration of the Trop’s roof was a massive, manual undertaking.

Unlike traditional ironwork that relies on heavy machinery and power tools, this job required finesse and physical strength.

Torres and his crew spent months nearly 250 feet above the field, using little more than gloves and ratchet straps to pull, stretch, and secure the massive new fabric.

Working at those heights requires a specific kind of mental fortitude.

“Once you’re up that high, you just focus on what you’re doing,” Torres said. “The ground kind of blurs out.”

A Viral View

While the work was grueling, the perspective was unmatched.

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Torres began posting videos of his “office” to Instagram, offering Rays fans a bird’s-eye view of the stadium and the surrounding city.

The response from the community was immediate—and overwhelming.

“We get a point of view that a lot of people don’t get to see,” Torres said. “I got a lot of messages from the people in St. Petersburg and Tampa… they were inviting us all out to have drinks at the bar for free, go kayaking for free.”

Some fans even offered to send the crew money via cash apps, which Torres politely declined. “We make a good living,” he said. “But we’re proud of our work and we love doing it.”

Sunsets and Second Homes

Beyond the local hospitality, it was the Florida scenery that left a lasting impression on the Oklahoman.

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“It was the sunsets and the sunrises, man. Especially in the morning,” Torres recalled. “You’ve got the ocean and the sun… you have a perfect view up there. I could’ve taken a date up there!”

As Tropicana Field officially reopens under its restored roof, Torres has returned home, but he says a piece of him remains in St. Pete. He understands why the locals were so invested in seeing the dome made whole again.

“It’s a pride thing,” he said. “It’s your state, it’s your city. I’d be happy, too.”