Blue Jays' Florida training base built to withstand harsh weather as Hurricane Milton approaches

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When the Blue Jays invested more than $100 million US to renovate their spring training facility into a state of the art player development complex, they built it to withstand the most unpredictable of Florida weather.

Literally.

The year-round hub for the team — from spring training, to minor league development, to a rehab centre for injured players — withstood Hurricane Helene in September. With Hurricane Milton expected to slam the Tampa area on Wednesday, the team is hoping it will survive another blow.

“It’s like it’s hurricane proof,” manager John Schneider said in the aftermath of Helene. “People go there when there’s hurricanes. It’s like a shelter. Everything’s good there.”

Schneider, who makes his off-season home in the area, said his family had to use a generator in the aftermath of Helene as power went out. But Clearwater Beach, where several Jays players reside during spring training, was under water.

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Several Jays players spend more of their off-season in the Dunedin area, in part to take advantage of the facilities at the PDC. That was by design when the organization invested in the extensive renovations that were completed in 2021.

Built on higher ground with sturdy concrete, so far the facility has managed to avoid any significant damage when major storms ravage the area. Located some four kilometres inland, the PDC at least avoids the most significant coastal storm surges.

Though staffed year round, it is expected that there will be some limitations given the evacuation orders in the Tampa area. Dunedin is located in Pinellas County, which is one of the areas under evacuation orders on Monday as Milton rapidly strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane earlier in the day. A state of emergency has been declared in 51 of the state’s 67 counties, including Pinellas. Meteorologists are predicting that the storm could bring up to 12 feet of surge in the Tampa Bay Area which includes the cities of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

Among the evacuees is Jays long-time broadcaster Buck Martinez, who lives in New Port Richey, north of Clearwater. Martinez told the Toronto Sun on Monday that he was “on his way out of town.” His home escaped damage from Hurricane Helene, but neighbours weren’t so fortunate.