Tampa Sports Authority Votes To Sue Over Pink Seats

Have A Seat: TSA To Take Hussey To Court

Tampa Sports Authority (TSA) members after months of negotiating the replacement of fading red seats at Raymond James Stadium voted unanimously Tuesday to sue manufacturer Hussey Seating Co. for its failure to “live up to a pledge to replace” the seats by next season, according to Bill Varian of the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES. TSA member Vincent Marchetti: “I think we’ve waited long enough. Clearly this is a defective product in the stadium that needs to be replaced. They’ve had plenty of time to get it resolved.” Hussey told the TSA at a January 6 meeting that a “subcontractor that was supposed to make the plastic seat backs and bottoms is getting out of the business.” Hussey has “lined up another subcontractor, but that will likely result in a delay that could mean, at best, that only half of the seats would be replaced in time for next season.” Bucs Dir of Security & Facilities Andres Trescastro: “We just want the [TSA] to make sure they really, really start the heat in this situation” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 1/19).

TRAINING DAY: In Tampa, Alan Snel reports the Bucs have fired team BSC Representative Chip Hayward and project management firm N.W. Getz & Associates, both of which were working on the team’s proposed $30M training center and HQs. Trescastro said that the move “will not affect the construction schedule” (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 1/19).