Month: February 2005

The Tampa Sports Authority is very much in the news these days. Make that the cross-hairs – courtesy of rookie Hillsborough County Commissioner Brian Blair, who has called out the TSA on its relevance and efficiency. And has even called for its abolition.

Whatever the ultimate scenario, it’s a valid issue.

Some context.

When the (11-member) TSA was created as an independent special district in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, its charge was to jumpstart a football stadium. Initially, it would be the home of the University of Tampa Spartans.

More to the point, a big time stadium was the necessary means to the successful end of attracting an NFL franchise – the one that became the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who debuted in 1976. A series of pre-season NFL games had paved the way. In 1998 the TSA would replace Tampa Stadium with the state-of-the-art Raymond James Stadium.

At its inception, the TSA, which is not self-sustaining, received annual payments of $60,000 and $30,000 from the city and county, respectively – as required by the establishing legislation. (Today those sums are $600,000 and $1.3 million, respectively, as supplements to $18.7 million from sales tax; $8 million from stadium operations; $3.6 million in golf revenue; and $1.8 million in interest from bond funds. What’s paid out goes largely to RayJay bond debt ($18.7 million), stadium ($10 million) operations and golf ($3.6 million) operations.) Additionally, the TSA was granted deed-holding powers by the Legislature.

Along the way, the TSA also was charged with developing other sports facilities and playing a lead role in wooing additional pro franchises, equestrian events, bowl games and even Super Bowls to a city that was hardly a household name in the world of sports.

The Rowdies, Mutiny and Bandits came and went – but helped ratchet up the city’s national profile. The American and Hall of Fame Bowls morphed into the highly successful Outback Bowl. Legends Field and the Times Forum came on line, and the spring-training New York Yankees and the Stanley Cup-winning Tampa Bay Lightning became integral parts of the bay area sports-and-entertainment synergy.

New reality

But that was then, and this is now.

Tampa is the hub of a major sports market. The heaviest lifting is over.

Moreover, Hillsborough County now owns the property for Legends Field, the Times Forum and most of RayJay. The TSA operates and maintains three municipal golf courses and RayJay. (The TSA also retains ownership of the portions of the stadium – such as the luxury boxes and ticket offices – occupied by the Bucs.)

So the question – and it seems rhetorical – is: Given all the changes in the TSA’s mission and responsibilities since 1965, why shouldn’t it submit to a major reappraisal and possible – even probable – overhaul? Or more?

The game has changed since Tampa needed an independent public agency to put the undersized Florida city that wasn’t Miami or Disney-Orlando on the national map by targeting sports as an industry. Loyalty born of nostalgia mustn’t be confused with reduced relevance today.

Interestingly enough, among those who wouldn’t disagree with the aforementioned, non-rhetorical query – or its premise – is David Mechanik. He’s the current chairman of the TSA and a board member since 1997.

At a recent appearance at the Tiger Bay Club of Tampa, Mechanik — while taking issue with “mismanagement” characterizations and presumptive financial savings — agreed that it’s “not unfair” to pose the re-evaluation question. “We’re open to that,” he said.

“But before we change something,” he underscored, “let’s look at the alternatives.”

In other words: Do we really want the county to run something else?

And the county, ironically, is the crux of the issue.

The TSA arguably doesn’t have enough to do. It competently manages RayJay; maintains the best turf in the NFL as well as three golf courses; and is a key player in pitching the NFL for the 2009 Super Bowl. It does important, community-enhancing, sport-specific work — but not enough of it. And it’s fair to ask why TSA Executive Director Henry Saavedra should make nearly as much ($185,723) as County Administrator Pat Bean ($191,880), who, among other things, has to put up with the county commission.

The problem is the messenger. Being criticized by the Board of County Commissioners – with a grandstanding Brian Blair as point man – is like being taken to task by Chuck Roast. To many, the commission itself is still synonymous with dysfunction. Former wrestler and erstwhile “Killer Bee” Blair has all the gravitas of Aunt Bea.

And yet the message – the need for a long overdue, major reappraisal of the TSA with everything on the table — is on point. Scrutinizing oversight can no longer be overlooked.

And David Mechanik, one suspects, knows it.

Even if the Hillsborough County Commission should vote to drastically alter or raze the Tampa Sports Authority, the final decision rests with lawmakers in Tallahassee. So don’t look for an extreme makeover just yet.

However, there could be movement on a related front. The TSA has been taking ethical and PR heat over its policy of accepting free skybox tickets and meals for its members and dispensing additional freebies to selected public officials.

“I’m not going to totally defend that practice,” said TSA Chairman David Mechanik, who added that there was “no current written policy.” He also noted that “Staff are now working on it.

“We could do a better job of benefiting the community at large,” he conceded.

I knew Evelyn Greco for the last of her 98 years. Would that it had been more.

I’m always fascinated by folks who have lived so much of the history we take for granted. I can only imagine Ybor City in the Roaring ’20s, the Depression and World War II. But she lived it. And upon request, didn’t mind reliving it.

The lives of the Evelyn Grecos are windows into a world – and society – long since past. When neighbors meant more than residential proximity. We need reminding.

Mrs. Greco wasn’t there at Creation; it just seemed that way. And she was still sharp at the end – still reading in Spanish, Italian and English, still reveling in grandchildren and great grandchildren.

And still keeping her kid – who’s a grandfather — in line. That would be former four-time Mayor Dick Greco. The relationship never ceased to amuse.

Till virtually the very end, Mrs. Greco would call her 70-something son to remind him “to be careful with your driving.” Which was typically the prelude to “Call me when you get home.” And for good measure: “You seem to be putting on some weight.”

When pressed about what made her proudest about her only child’s success, she couldn’t have been more old school.

“I don’t follow all that city business,” she admitted. “But what means most to me is that he was a nice, polite boy who worked hard – and never changed.”

Safety Harbor is a sleepy, village-like community nestled along Tampa Bay in eastern Pinellas County. It could be the poster burg for quaint. Its downtown is a mix of small shops, waterfront vistas and the landmark Safety Harbor Resort & Spa.

Look for that to change.

Sometime this spring Olympia Development Group will break ground – at the corner of Main Street and Bayshore Drive — on an upscale, mixed-use project that has raised lots of expectations for a downtown renaissance. Dunedin-based Olympia will develop Harbour Pointe: 45 condominiums, eight town homes and 45,000 square feet of retail and office on 3.3 acres.

The condos -in two 4-story buildings –will overlook the bay and a marina. Prices will start at $500,000. Construction is slated to begin by the end of the second quarter.The Shoppes at Harbour Pointe – consisting of a 2- and 3-story building – will feature a European village ambience. Construction should start by the end of the first quarter.

Moreover, Olympia recently bought the Spa property, which sits across the street from Harbour Pointe on 30 acres, from Arlington, Va.-based MeriStar Hospitality Co. According to MeriStar, the purchase price was in excess of $20 million. Olympia has ambitious plans for upgrading the 189-room resort plus major mixed-use development. The scenario – in a 5-to-7-year build out – could include more than 300 condos, retail, and a 300-room hotel.

“Harbour Pointe is important for our downtown,” emphasizes Ron Pianta, Safety Harbor’s assistant city manager and community development director. “Olympia has been very cooperative in working with us and making adjustments to the development order. This is a very sensitive project.

“And now they’ve purchased the Spa,” adds Pianta. “Obviously they have an affinity for the community and are in it for the long haul. They’re local, and they’re investing in the community.”

From Olympia’s perspective, giving downtown Safety Harbor a major makeover represents the culmination of a market evolution for the 14-year-old company. Its stock in trade had been commercial development – including more than 75 free-standing Walgreens throughout the Southeast.

“We’ve done enough of that kind of work to economically allow us to do other things,” explains Eddie Entreken, Olympia’s vice president/project development. “Mixed-use development is very popular. Our owner is an architect, and this is a project that excites him – and us as a company.”

That owner is 68-year-old William Touloumis, an immigrant Horatio Alger from Greece.

“We wanted to diversify, and this is a good vehicle for that,” underscores Touloumis, whose hands-on design work will be very much in evidence at Harbour Pointe. “We are creating an urban environment with resort-style amenities and restoring a pedestrian marketplace to downtown. We are also making a statement. For many generations people will benefit. I’ve always said, ‘If a job is done well and properly, the profit is a by-product.'”

To date, good will with local officials has been the by-product of Olympia’s two-year effort to seek input – including focus groups – from the community and to establish solid rapport with the chamber of commerce. Olympia is now viewed as vested.

And it hardly hurt that Olympia anted up for a restaurant and a community events-oriented plaza to sweeten the deal.

“We see this as a true partnership,” says Safety Harbor commissioner Nadine Nickeson. “It benefits them, and we wanted a draw downtown for our residents and those who drive through. This is not overwhelming – but a good fit. It’s all coming to fruition.”