Former Tampa Mayor William Poe filed an appeal yesterday of
Circuit Judge Sam Pendino's dismissal of his second lawsuit
against the building of a new Bucs stadium, according to Joe
Henderson of the TAMPA TRIBUNE. Poe's move came against the
"pleadings" of friends and "further complicates plans to build
the stadium" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 10/15). In St. Petersburg, Larry
Dougherty notes that in choosing to appeal, Poe showed he had
"resisted the pleas of some of Tampa's most important leaders --
many of whom are Poe's friends -- urging him to stop fighting"
the $319M stadium deal. Groundbreaking was scheduled for today,
but "it now seems the legality of the project -- and the validity
of the bonds ... are in question" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 10/12).
Poe announced his intention to appeal the ruling in a half-page
ad in the TAMPA TRIBUNE, but Poe said he will drop his case if he
loses the appeal. The Tampa Super Bowl task force submitted its
bid to NFL officials to host the 2000 game. But NFL President
Neil Austrian has said it would be "difficult" for owners to
approve the bid while Poe's legal battles continue. NFL
officials had no comment of Poe's latest move (TAMPA TRIBUNE,
10/12). USA TODAY's Gordon Forbes notes if Poe is successful,
the site for Super Bowl XXXIV "becomes a tossup between Atlanta
and Arizona" (USA TODAY, 10/15).
FEES APPROVED: The Tampa Sports Authority approved fees
yesterday for companies arranging financing of the stadium's
$180M bond issue. Bonds will be repaid through a 30-year, half-
percent sales tax approved by Hillsborough County voters last
month. Smith Barney will collect almost $2.2M in fees for
serving as senior manager of the bond issue. The rest of the
$5.4M in total underwriter fees will be split among six
investment concerns (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 10/15).
