Tampa Sports Authority gets cash, new director as Hillsborough budget cuts target jobs, parks
August 4, 2009 at 8:58 am by Kelly Cornelius
Photo credit: capitalist_b/flickr.com
By Kelly Cornelius
PoHo contributor & R-LAND activist
As we fight to keep public parks open, the Tampa Sports Authority uses your tax dollars to hire a new executive director at $170,000 a year plus a $2,000 a month housing allowance for up to five months. Looks like you are also footing a $12,500 bill for his moving expenses. Meanwhile, County Administrator Pat Bean is recommending to the Hillsborough County Commission to cut hundreds of jobs and basic services.
Commissioner Jim Norman, who sits on that board, voted to approve the director but not the housing allowance. He is quoted in this article as saying “the people who are paying this today, which are the taxpayers will be outraged.” Um, Mr. Norman I bet if taxpayers knew how much of their money goes to the Sports Authority in general they would be outraged that it even exists.
The Sports Authority gets millions from taxpayers and for what? Do you get to go to the games at a reasonable price? I didn’t think so. Norman does; he watches the games in style on the taxpayer’s dime. What exactly is the benefit of this agency to the whole community? uh-huh, that is what I thought. According to their website their main responsibility is “to maintain Raymond James Stadium and three city golf courses.” This drain on tax dollars should be abolished and please take Ms. Bean with it.
If getting rid of it takes our commissioners to ask for an act of the Legislature, then what are they waiting for? Maybe our highly paid lobbyists can help, but in the meantime please cut off their funds. Funny how they are proposing to cripple agencies like The Planning Commission and The Environmental Protection Commission (EPC) yet when you read Ms. Bean’s budget it is hard to get a final figure for the Sports Authority. It looked like well over 10 million dollars to me and the biggest chunk of that appeared to be from Community Investment Tax (CIT) dollars. This is the definition of CIT according to the county’s website: a discretionary half cent sales surtax approved by the voters to finance general government, public safety, educational and other facilities in Hillsborough County and the cities of Tampa, Plant City, and Temple Terrace. I would be willing to bet people didn’t approve that tax thinking Gee, I hope when they have to cut parks and safety services that the Sports Authority comes out just fine! (just a hunch).
The money we save without the Sports Authority can fund parks, programs like the Bakas Equestrian Center that showed up in force to keep their program alive at the last budget public hearing, The Planning Commission, The EPC and hey, maybe things like Fire and Safety that Pat Bean evidently thinks of as frills! Commissioners have the final say on her budget (and her job). You can tell them to get their priorities in order here. You can see the full budget schedule here.
