Crane collapses into Times’ office building amid thrashing Milton winds

A crane collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg during Hurricane Milton’s thrashing winds Wednesday night — leaving a gaping hole in an office building that houses several businesses, including the Tampa Bay Times.

The crane fell from the Residences at 400 Central, the 46-story skyscraper being built across from the Times’ office, as the storm pummeled the region.

The crane remained crumpled across 1st Avenue South early Thursday, completely blocking the street.

The city said in a news release that no injuries have been reported at the site. The building damaged by the crane had closed ahead of Milton’s arrival Wednesday. No one from the Times’ newsroom was working inside when the crane collapsed.

The eight-story space at 490 First Ave. S consists of three connected buildings, one built a century ago.

Times Publishing Co., parent of the Tampa Bay Times, sold the facility in 2016 to a joint venture of Convergent Capital Partners and Denholtz Associates, but remained a tenant.

The National Weather Service said it received reports of multiple collapsed cranes from high winds in St. Petersburg, which is about 50 miles north of Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall.

Mayor Ken Welch on Tuesday urged residents who live in buildings next to three construction sites in downtown St. Petersburg and one in the Carillon area to relocate or take other precautions because of safety concerns with the neighboring high-rise cranes.

The city’s building official, Don Tyre, said the three cranes at 400 Central were rated to withstand up to 110 mph winds. Other cranes were rated for winds reaching 145 mph, he said.

Tyre said that one crane’s T-section arm snapped off in a wind gust. The rest of the crane remained intact.

Tyre called it a “best case scenario” that only the 100-foot wide section fell over First Avenue South. He said a portable crane will be needed to remove that fallen section.

Tyre said if the whole crane had been pulled over by gusts, the damage would have been over 600-700 feet.

Tyre said the city could look at what it could do to strengthen regulation of cranes. He said an engineer is being flown in to service the two remaining cranes at 400 Central.

“We can confirm one crane cab in the upper section of the mast has fallen,” said John Catsimatidis, the CEO of Red Apple Group, which is developing the 400 Central skyscraper. “We are working with city officials and others to assess the situation.”

At a height of 515 feet, the building is the tallest in the city and the highest residential tower on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Video from Wednesday shows sparks flying from the crane’s frame as it tumbled, smashing into the neighboring office building that the Tampa Bay Times calls home.

Michael Kotler, a resident on the 12th floor of the McNulty building in downtown St. Petersburg, said he heard what he thought was thunder around 10 p.m.

But it only happened once.

He looked out his window and saw a crane from the 400 Central construction site leaning against the Times’ building.

By early Thursday, a palm tree rested tangled in the crane’s wreckage. Smoke billowed from the damaged building. The air smelled of gasoline while alarms blared.

Shattered glass covered the steps. A window outside Karma Juice Bar & Eatery, which is located on the first floor, was completely blown out. On one of the top floors, window shades blew in still whipping wind.

Lights inside the lobby remained on.

Two brothers climbed through the destruction, taking pictures in the dark.

Bricks lay strewn through the street.

By dawn, dozens of onlookers gathered behind the police tape tied to sections of broken fencing now strewn across the street.

Residents of nearby apartment buildings paused to snap a photo on their phones as they walked their dogs. News crews jockeyed for the best angle of the scene while amateur photographers pointed telephoto lenses at the wreckage.

Joe Lindquist, 32, of St. Petersburg, said he knew Hurricane Milton would be severe. But what he saw was still astounding.

“I didn’t think it would take down a crane.”

Times staff writers Colleen Wright, Rebecca Liebson, Max Chesnes and Ian Hodgson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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