In West Palm Beach, Dave George writes when the CFP committee this week announced that South Florida "got passed over as host" for the '18 championship game, the group was telling Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross that he "can’t spend enough money to make a difference." George: "What is Ross supposed to think now after dedicating $450 million to the ongoing renovation of Sun Life Stadium?" Now South Florida's "leap back onto the big-event express train doesn’t look so simple, and there’s no making sense of it all" (PALM BEACH POST, 11/6).
OBSTACLE COURSE: In Tampa, Charlie Frago noted Tuesday's elections "sparked hope in Tampa that the long-awaited deal" between St. Petersburg and the Rays "is imminent." But "there are obstacles ahead." St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman spokesperson Ben Kirby said that Kriseman and Rays President Brian Auld "have agreed to meet soon, but nothing has been scheduled yet." Kriseman's Chief of Staff Kevin King said that when negotiations "do begin, everything is up for discussion" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 11/5).
TRAFFIC JAM: The CHICAGO TRIBUNE noted Chicago Ald. Tom Tunney in a letter to constituents "laid out a gruesome series of traffic disruptions around" Wrigley Field in the coming months as the Cubs "work to expand the cramped clubhouses, construct an office building near Clark Street and Waveland Avenue and continue other build-outs." Tunney has "caught plenty of grief from nearby residents who want him to do a better job holding the line against" the Ricketts family, which owns the Cubs. The alderman’s letter "directs any complaints about the situation to the Cubs" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/3).
