Rays Selling Storm-Damaged Stadium Roof Pieces for Charity Despite City Owning Building
The Rays started selling $15 pieces of Tropicana Field's storm-torn roof at their games. The catch? They don't own the building. All sales feed into the Rays Baseball Foundation, which sent $1.1 million to local groups last year.
St. Petersburg staff spotted the sales through online posts. "At this time, the City does not plan to take any action regarding this issue," said city spokesperson Samantha Bequer to the Tampa Bay Times.
After Hurricane Milton struck, workers gathered scattered roof parts from the ground. At sales stands, signs warn buyers that MLB hasn't checked the items, and all sales stick.
The team's giving arm holds $2.7 million in funds. Past gifts put $200,000 toward student aid across five counties, while $118,000 bought sports gear for kids.
While city staff had talked about letting the team keep fallen roof parts, they never put rules in writing about selling them. No word yet on cash raised or given from these sales.
The white roof fabric now shows up for sale across the web. Sellers split it up by the foot, while artists turn scraps into new works.
The city must fix the roof before next season starts. While St. Petersburg owns and maintains the building, the Rays just rent space there.
Money from the foundation flows to groups in five nearby counties. Their 2022 tax records prove they keep putting funds back into Tampa Bay neighborhoods.
