Pinellas County Commissioner Chuck Rainey has publicly
rejected a "confidential, off-the-record" offer by Hillsborough
County Commissioner Ed Turanchik to help move the Bucs across the
Bay and have Hillsborough "kick in" $25M to build a new stadium
there. According to the TAMPA TRIBUNE, in a letter sent to
officials in both counties as well as Tampa Mayor Dick Greco,
Rainey said he was "amazed to see an elected representative from
Hillsborough County peddling the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to Pinellas
County" and expressed concern that it would be seen as an attempt
to "steal" the team (Joe Henderson, TAMPA TRIBUNE, 2/13).
CULVERHOUSE II: Hugh Culverhouse, Jr., son of the Bucs'
late owner, says his family wants to help finance a new stadium
to keep the team in Tampa. A plan, which has received
"preliminary support" from Tampa Stadium Authority attorney Don
Gifford, would allow a $20M enhancement fee owed to the
Culverhouse Trust by new Owner Malcolm Glazer to go toward
retiring debt on a new stadium. As part of Glazer's $192M
purchase, $20M must be paid to the Trust over a 10-year period if
a new stadium is built in either Tampa or Orlando. If Glazer
moves the team elsewhere, the fee jumps to $35M (Rick Stroud, ST.
PETERSBURG TIMES, 2/13).
