Historic orange dome came crashing down faster than expected

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - As demolition crews got into position Monday morning to tear down the iconic orange dome in Winter Haven, locals and mourners gathered to witness it.

And they got a show that no one really expected.

“Everybody thought they’d be working on this for days to get it down,” said Howard Wilson, one of the many onlookers. “A piece of the roof started to fall in and then the whole works turned to just a cloud of dust.”

From start to finish, it took the demolition team all of 12 minutes to tear down the dome.

The team spent the last week taking out the support beams, but they still expected it to take a while before it came tumbling down.

“I can’t believe they did this,” said Linda Bryant, who had to shield her eyes from the bulldozers at times.

Bryant has fond memories of the nearly 50-year old building that hosted fairs, concerts, sporting events, and so much more.

“I got grand kids who will never see this,” she said. “It’s just crazy.”

The community knew this local landmark was sitting on death row for years. It came down to make way for a new mixed-use development called The Landings.

The first phase of the project will be built on the property of the now former orange dome.