Hav-A-Tampa: Authority, County Wrestle With Stadium Ruling

Hillsborough County, FL, commissioners "moved toward closer scrutiny" of the Tampa Sports Authority's (TSA) books yesterday as "they learned that the group is projected to lose money" at Raymond James Stadium this year, according to Bill Varian of the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES. But commissioners "again failed to settle a larger tax issue that pushed the stadium into the red after a Florida Supreme Court ruling" in April. TSA Exec Dir Henry Saavedra told commissioners that, "as a result of that ruling, the Sports Authority could lose a little more than $1[M] on stadium operations this year." Commissioners and the TSA "have been wrestling since" the FL Supreme Court found that sports arenas "owned by certain governments but leased to private entities must pay property taxes." The ruling means that the stadium "owes about $5.3[M] a year in property taxes." Under an agreement with the Buccaneers, the TSA "is responsible for those taxes" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 11/9). In Tampa, Gary Haber reports that under their agreement with the TSA, the county and city of Tampa "are obligated to pick up two-thirds and one-third, respectively, of any TSA budget shortfall" (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 11/9).