Hillsborough County To Vote Friday on Rays "Bad Deal" Stadium Funding

Hillsborough County has scheduled a "special" BOCC meeting on Friday, 8/28/26 at 9am to vote on the latest public funding agreement for a new Rays Stadium. The County finally released their 184 page agenda that includes the 180 page agreement today. 

Apparently, the county commissioners expect their constituents and the taxpayers to read and fully digest the monstrosity of an agreement in less than 48 hours before they vote. Or....they expect their constituents and the taxpayers will not have the time to read and digest how at least a Billion dollars (direct funding plus debt) of their tax dollars will be used to enrich Billionaire baseball owners.

Looks like the "Pass the funding agreement first to then see what's actually in it" attitude.

The public can weigh in during public comment either in person or virtually by registering here or signing up in person before 9am on Friday.

Public Funding:

• City of Tampa 

•  $80M "payable from City legally available non ad valorem revenues in four (4) annual installments" beginning January 1, 2027. (Supposedly Tampa claimed they would not use CIT funds so where is available non ad valorem coming from - inquiring minds want to know.)

• Hillsborough County will contribute $796M of direct funding (that excludes debt payments)

• Community Investment Tax Renewal (CIT)
• County will hand the Rays upfront $360M of CIT revenues in 4 installments of $90M
• County commissioners specifically told voters and taxpayers in 2024 that the CIT Renewal would NOT be used for ANY new Stadium. They lied.

• Tourist Development Tax  
• County will bond out (aka Debt) $263M of TDT for 35 years (total interest payments over 35 years will cost hundreds of millions of dollars)
• County will raid the TDT reserves of $40M
• BOCC Chair Ken Hagan is Chair of the Tourist Development Council who oversees the spending of the TDT (how convenient)
• Tampa Mayor Jane Castor is on the Board of the Tourist Development Council (how convenient
• Section 3.10 of the Funding Agreement includes the County "understands" the Rays will be requesting additional TDT revenue in the future.
• "Section 3.10 Additional TDT Contribution Requests. The County understands that it is StadCo intent to request from the County additional contributions of the one percent high tourism impact tourist development tax authorized by section 125.0104(3)(m), Florida Statutes. The County will consider, subject to all due and proper requirements of Applicable Law, such requests in a manner consistent with its consideration of such requests from other similarly situated professional sports teams located in Hillsborough County. Any County approval will be subject to separate written agreement by and between StadCo and the County and subject to approval by the Board of County Commissioners in its sole and absolute discretion." 
• More tax dollars to the Rays will be a big black hole of never ending handouts. 

• County will hand the Rays $103M by raiding the Countywide General Fund Cash Reserves. 
• The mystery (so much for transparency) $103M the County does not specify the funding source for in the agreement but the County previously presented they would use these reserves

• The same Cash Reserves Fund that Commissioner Ken Hagan has scoldingly told the public for years could not be used to fund roads and infrastructure (primary responsibility of local government) because using the Reserve funds would negatively impact the County's bond/credit rating.
• But use those funds for a Stadium and it's A-OK...

• $30M HUD Community Development Block Grant - Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR 
• According to HUD's website, the intent of CDBG-DR grants:

• Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) grant funds are appropriated by Congress and allocated by HUD to rebuild disaster-impacted areas and provide crucial seed money to start the long-term recovery process. These flexible grants help cities, counties, Indian tribes, and States recover from Presidentially declared disasters, especially in low-income areas, subject to availability of supplemental appropriations. Since CDBG-DR assistance may fund a broad range of recovery activities, HUD can help communities and neighborhoods that otherwise might not recover due to limited resources.

• As Florida continues to recover throughout the state from numerous hurricanes, we are investigating whether the use of this grant to help fund a baseball stadium is an appropriate use of these disaster recovery funds. 

There is a clause in this funding agreement regarding if there is an "Unavailability of Public Contribution Amount" resulting from the illegality of the use of all or any portion of the Public Contribution Amount. The Rays will be notified and the City and County will propose an "Alternative Funding Arrangement" aka they will go find other revenue sources to use aka that Stadium will get built...

The Tax-Increment Financing (TIF) will encompass a new Ballpark Community Development District (CDD) which it appears the CDD will issue bonds. The incremental property tax growth will pay back the debt service first and maintain, repair and improve public infrastructure within the CDD District - which is all in the city of Tampa.

Subsidizing a new baseball stadium while the County has neglected its roads and infrastructure for years is fiscal irresponsibility and bad governance. 

This is a bad deal, especially for taxpayers in unincorporated Hillsborough. While the County hands the Rays a Billion dollars of County tax dollars, it is the city of Tampa who will benefit.  

The dishonesty, deception and lack of public transparency by Ken Hagan and County staff is appalling. Hagan, as Chair of the BOCC and Chair of the TDC, empowered him to manipulate with insiders the creation of this Stadium Subsidy Scam. 

It is intentional misfeasance to be committing tax revenues for a new stadium without knowing whether Amendment 3 is passed or not. 

At the very least, this contentious issue should be on the ballot and let voters decide not 7 county commissioners.

Email all the commissioners here and tell them to VOTE NO!

Siren Warning: Rays Will Loot CIT funds, Raid Cash Reserves and Confiscate Property Tax Revenues with Circular Taxpayer Financing

Do elementary school math. The proposed Rays Stadium Subsidy Scheme will loot a super super majority of taxpayers 2024 CIT renewal funds in the first 4 years of the tax.

Siren blares as Rays loot CIT

Hillsborough County Commission will vote on Wednesday  whether to approve the Rays "Memorandum of Demand" for your tax dollars to build a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. 

If county commissioners rubber stamp their approval, the Tampa City Council will rubber stamp theirs ASAP thereafter. 

Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa are running a dishonest disinformation campaign for the Rays. Below is what is being presented publicly on Wednesday.

The County is NOT telling the public the actual percentage of "estimated" CIT  funds they will "throw" to the Rays for a New Stadium.  

Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa know that if they show the percentages (graphics above), it will spark more public outrage. Voters and taxpayers were told in 2024 "they" were getting "their" infrastructure improvements FIRST NOT providing FRONT LOADING funding for a $2.3 BILLION New Rays Stadium.

Basic Math the County is NOT telling the Public Wednesday about
how much UPFRONT CIT funds are front loading a New Rays Stadium

What else is "conveniently" missing from the County's 4 years of Local Funding Framework chart?  The Rays' Cash Flow which adds to the County's deceptive disinformation campaign. 

The County is voting Wednesday whether to move forward on spending over a Billion dollars of your tax dollars but they are not telling you where the Rays funding is coming from. What is the Rays cash flow, where is it coming from and are they spending at least $500M in the first year? 

This lack of transparency is dishonest, deceptive and unscrupulous.

The CIT is a half percent sales tax that was initially approved by voters in 1996 to build the Bucs RayJay stadium, fund roads and needed infrastructure and build schools. 

City and County CIT funds are already used to maintain three stadiums in Hillsborough County: RayJay, the hockey Arena and Steinbrenner field.

As reported here, voters were promised in 2024 the CIT would NOT be used for any New Stadium. There was NO funding for anything related to any New Stadium, infrastructure or otherwise, in either the County or city of Tampa's list of projects they told voters would be funded by the CIT renewal. 

Even with promises to NOT fund a new stadium, the 2024 CIT referendum barely passed 51.57 to 48.43. This reflects a big trust issue voters have with local elected officials regarding how the County and city of Tampa spend their tax dollars. 

Today due to the elimination of the commercial lease sales tax, CIT revenue projections are reduced from the get go by approximately 8-10% per year from what voters were told in 2024. That reduces the  CIT revenues the County had expected to receive by hundreds of millions of dollars over the term of the 15 year tax.

Also missing from the County's Local Funding Chart is the Revenue side. Voters were told in 2024 the CIT would generate a total of $3.764 BILLION over its 15 year term. The County has never publicly adjusted that revenue forecast after the commercial lease sales tax was eliminated. More dishonesty, lack of transparency and unscrupulousness.

Less revenue generated will already impact projects promised voters in 2024. But the Rays demand they be FIRST in line to get a super super majority of YOUR CIT dollars UpFront. 

Due to sales tax revenue volatility, CIT revenues declined during the last 2 fiscal years - before losing the commercial lease tax funds. 

CIT revenues declined even with the Rays playing their home games at Steinbrenner field last year. 

But there's no CIT shortfall backstop from the Rays.

Risky Business.

Now, the "powers to be" are trying to evade a lawsuit by using semantics claiming your tax dollars are funding the Rays "New BallPark"... like the County is funding a little league baseball field not a Rays Stadium bleachers, walls, roof, etc.

Someone forgot to CYA on the use of "BallPark" instead of Stadium because the Rays agenda item on Wednesday's headlines as a NEW STADIUM PROJECT.  

But Houston There Is a Another Problem!

As reported here

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers just sat down with the Tampa Sports Authority, Hillsborough County, and the City of Tampa to discuss a billion-dollar renovation of Raymond James Stadium.

Stadium funding stops being a one-time infrastructure investment. It becomes a permanent line item. Schools, roads, hospitals, all competing with the same tax dollars that keep a football team from leaving town.

Hillsborough already committed almost $600 MILLION of CIT taxes to fund "Public Facilities" that includes maintenance of RayJay, Steinbrenner Field and the hockeyArena. Tampa already committed $165 MILLION of CIT taxes to fund maintenance of RayJay and the hockey Arena.

Along with infrastructure and public safety needs, the Rays, the Bucs, the Lightning and the Yankees will all feed off the same budget and the same tax dollars. The math does not work. 

This shady sketchy stadium subsidy scheme allows the Rays to raid $103 MILLION from the County's Cash Reserves just as Hurricane Season begins. How ironic that it's been Ken Hagan who has lectured the public for years the County must keep its Reserves high to keep the County's credit/bond rating. 

What's also missing from the County's Local Funding chart is the bonding debt and interest costs forced on taxpayers for decades. Bonding the Tourist Tax only will cost taxpayers between $240 and $280 MILLION in interest payments. If CIT was also bonded, those interest costs could approach $1.55 BILLION.

The Rays get circular financing by the taxpayers. The taxpayers foot the bill to hand the Rays hundreds of millions of dollars Upfront. The increased property tax revenues that exceed the debt service for their Stadium District Community Redevelopment District (CRA) will keep circling back to the Rays. 

 

The County continues their deceptive disinformation campaign for the Rays on Wednesday. They dishonestly leave out critical information to intentionally deceive the public. 

This backdoor Stadium Subsidy Scheme is a slap in the face to voters and taxpayers. 

Concerned about the County allowing the Rays to loot your CIT funds UPFRONT, raid the County's Cash Reserves, and the taxpayers circular financing that benefit the Rays Billionaire owners? 

Want the County to honor their 2024 Promise that CIT renewal funds NOT fund a Billionaire's Ballpark?

Want Roads, Infrastructure and Public Safety Funded FIRST, NOT a New Stadium? 

Contact All the Hillsborough County Commissioners NOW before Wednesday's meeting.

Sign up to speak in person or virtually at Wednesday's meeting.

 

Voter Betrayal, Payoffs & Massive Taxpayer Debt So Rays Can Get "Their" Stadium Funding Upfront and FIRST

Game on! 

Hillsborough County commissioners set to vote whether to approve the latest Rays "Memorandum of Demand" at the May 20th BOCC meeting.

Fearful of a lawsuit, semantics is now being used by Hillsborough County and city of Tampa to defend their use of CIT funds for a Rays stadium. 

As we reported here, Ken Hagan and majority of county commissioners told voters in 2024 that the CIT renewal funds would NOT be used to fund any NEW Stadium. They specifically removed "Community Stadium" from the referendum ballot language.

Below is from the February 2024 Hillsborough County CIT Workshop:

According to the latest "Memorandum of Demand" from the Rays, 

The CIT Contribution Amount may only be spent on Public Use Areas, and only if each of the County’s and City’s respective CIT project list, is amended, following respective public hearings, to include the New Ballpark Project as a “public facility”. 

In other words, the Rays demand "they" get "their" infrastructure UPFRONT and FIRST.

The 2024 CIT renewal ballot language included no wording in it to fund anything for any NEW stadium.  Hillsborough County and city of Tampa provided voters with a list of projects the CIT renewal tax would fund before the election. Those lists included NO funding related to any new Rays Stadium to gain voter support. The County and city of Tampa knew voters would reject using CIT to fund anything related to a New Rays Stadium.

Now they are using word games to subvert the intent of the voters they misled in 2024. 

While the "Rays infrastructure" gets priority with YOUR CIT funds, projects such as the Lithia Pinecrest and CR29 intersection have been delayed. This project, delayed for years, will not complete until at least 2033 years after the Rays have gotten "their" infrastructure projects completed. 

Many CIT projects could be at risk if CIT revenues fall and/or bondholders must be paid first.  

Thanks to Commissioner Wostal for documenting a comparison of changes made since the Rays April 9th "Memorandum of Demand" he addressed to Hillsborough County Taxpayers. It is not a pretty picture for taxpayers.

• If CIT revenues do not meet projections, there is NO Rays-secured shortfall backstop - aka the County must rob Peter (other projects) to pay Paul (the Rays).
• Rays Demand an additional $103M of County funds in addition to the CIT, CRA (your property tax revenue used to enrich the Rays owners) and Tourist tax funds.
• There is NO Documented Revenue Source for where the funds will come from
• Wostal indicates the additional $103M will likely come from the County's Property Tax General Fund that are the most flexible funds that only requires a simple commission majority vote, no public hearing needed.
• Bonding of the Tourist Tax only will cost taxpayers between $240 MILLION  and $280 MILLION in interest payments.
• Bonding of the Tourist Tax and CIT will cost taxpayers between $500 MILLION and $600 MILLION in interest payments.
• Total Interest payments forced on Taxpayers could be approximately $1.55 BILLION not including Bond Issuance Costs and Pre-Pricing Rate-Rise Risk Costs.
• Public Funding Cap does NOT include bond and risk costs to the Taxpayers.
• Rays get credited back on a dollar-for-dollar basis, future increased property tax revenues that exceed scheduled debt service for the CRA Bonds.
• Rays will retain ALL revenue from tickets, suites, sponsorships, concessions, special events, merchandise, broadcasting rights, royalties, licensing fees, concession fees, non-public parking and ALL naming rights revenue.

Where is the Rays Upfront CIT funds coming from if the County does not Bond out that revenue stream? Will they raid the County Reserves or raid more of your Property Tax Revenues?

Beware of the legal jargon use of the word "OR" instead of "AND" when the Rays "Memorandum of Demand" claims:

Funding from the CIT hereunder shall be implemented so as not to impact any public funds allocated for public infrastructure improvements or public safety within the region, including fire protection, law enforcement and emergency medical services. Using the word "OR" means either one but not both. Using the word "AND" means to include both. The County and city of Tampa are trying to skirt a lawsuit by including this claim. However, the voters were told BOTH much needed backlogged infrastructure AND public safety would be funded by the 2024 CIT Renewal.  It appears this claim is to sway (perhaps Payoff??) Commissioner Chris Boles who spent 28 years as a Hillsborough County firefighter and was an Officer and Spokesperson for the County's Firefighter's Union. Every single First Responder's Organization in Hillsborough County, including the Firefighter's Union, the Police Benevolent Association and Sheriff Chronister endorsed Boles in 2024. They were all a large part of his donor base. We have a good idea where he will land if having to choose between public safety OR infrastructure funding.   Boles 2024 campaign website states: It’s more important now than ever to stop wasteful spending and unnecessary costs in Hillsborough County’s budget. I am committed to focusing on the essential core functions of government: ensuring adequate public safety, enhancing our roadways, developing infrastructure to support sustainable growth, and maintaining fiscal responsibility with taxpayer funds. We need to bring critical thinking and common sense back to our government,” Boles continues. We will find out on the 20th whether Boles thinks spending a couple Billion dollars of tax dollars and interest for a new Rays stadium is a "core function of government". We'll find out if he thinks it is fiscally responsible for taxpayers to fund the Rays sketchy stadium subsidy deal and incur massive debt for decades. And we'll find out if he likes the use of the word "Or". The Rays have never specified where their own financing is coming from that begs the question whether they actually have a financing scheme. Their latest "Memorandum of Demand" states the Rays will give public funders access to their own financing information prior to "commitment of public funds". This is absurd! Could you even apply for a mortgage and not provide the mortgage company with your income information?  Perhaps this is the Rays "Give Us Your Tax Dollars Upfront and we'll run to the Bank/Investors and get our financing" moment. The Rays want it all - Your CIT, your Tourist Taxes and your Property Taxes all Upfront and loaded with taxpayer debt. If one is actually critically thinking about the Rays "Memorandum of Demand", as Commissioner Boles claims he will do, they would JUST SAY NO!  If the County and the City approves the Rays sketchy stadium subsidy scheme, they will: Break their promises to the voters Put a massive debt repayment burden on taxpayers Be ramming thru the Ray's demands to meet the Rays timeline using a process of backroom dealing and too little transparency Instead of approving the Rays Risky Business, the commissioners should be calling Three Strikes Rays and you are Out!  And remember INTENT means something!

Rays Fret But Sketchy Stadium Subsidies Hammer Taxpayers With Massive Debt

The fiscal deception keeps looming as the Rays threaten to look at "alternatives" if Hillsborough County refuses their funding demands for a new stadium.

The irresponsibility of subsidizing the Rays Billionaires is enormous. Taxpayers will get sucker punched at the Local, State and Federal levels and hammered with massive amounts of debt. 

                                The Rays Proposal To Fund New Stadium                                                          Rays get your $ NOW, Taxpayers Get Debt For Decades                                   

The Rays want your local CIT funds, the local Stadium CRA property tax funds and your federal HUD money - all to go into their coffers. They want your government owned land and for you as a State taxpayer to pay to relocate HCC.

The Rays get massive amounts of your tax dollars upfront and You the Taxpayer gets massive amounts of DEBT for decades. 

DEBT IS SUNK COSTS!

The Stadium fiscal egregiousness continues. 

At the February 24, 2024 CIT Workshop, Hillsborough County staff presented revenue projections of a renewed CIT tax. The County projected a first year revenue baseline of $200 MILLION with a growth rate of 3% per year over the term of the renewal tax.

However, in 2024 sales tax was still being collected on commercial leases. 

Last year the State legislature totally eliminated sales tax on commercial leases. That alone reduces the original projected baseline of a renewed CIT tax by at least 8-9%, from $200M to approximately $184M. 

Suddenly when the District Rays county commissioner Ken Hagan threw an agenda item on at the last minute for the 2/4/2026 BOCC meeting, Hagan began claiming there was going to be "Surplus" CIT revenue. Hagan began pushing that a CIT "Surplus", an amount over the "initial" (but incorrect) $200M revenue forecast, could fund the Rays stadium.

Problem is there is NO surplus. 

The baseline revenue's been reduced. Even with a higher growth rate of 3.7% (the Rays wanted 4%), the CIT revenue expected to be collected is already allocated. No such "Surplus" claim had ever been made before because such claim is vaporware.

Apparently, Hagan and/or the County either failed to inform the Rays of the revenue projection reduction, or they did and the Rays ignored it. The Rays continue using the inflated revenue baseline in their sales pitch.

No one gave Ken Hagan the authority to start claiming there was a CIT "Surplus".  Hagan has zero authority to tell the Rays there are "Surplus" CIT funds available for a new Stadium.

The County admitted at the 4/16/2026 CIT Workshop that CIT revenues have declined.

Before elimination of sales tax on commercial leases, CIT revenues in FY2025 were less than FY2024.

FY2026 CIT revenues are less than during same time FY2025. And the FY2026 decline is greater than the 8-9% from the commercial lease sales tax elimination.

Sales tax are most vulnerable to economic downturns. Massive debt is a huge taxpayer burden. When the sales tax tanks, the bondholders have priority and must be paid first.

What happens if Florida eliminates property taxes from homesteaded property? The Stadium District CRA revenue would tank and not be able to cover its debt repayment. Has Ken Hagan or the County thought thru that "what if"?

The proposed Rays Stadium Subsidy Scam is selling snake oil to the taxpayers. 

There is NO CIT "Surplus".  The sketchy stadium finances are riddled with wrong information, too many unknowns and debt, debt and more debt that will hammer taxpayers for decades. 

And Taxpayers Beware! 

When projects promised cannot be funded, watch for the County to put a new tax hike referendum on the 2028 ballot.

Contact the county commissioners and tell them to reject the proposed Sketchy Stadium Subsidy Scam now because it will burden taxpayers for decades.

Stadium Subsidies Double With Costly Curve Balls Thrown At Taxpayers As Rays Timeline Looms

St. Louis Federal Reserve

Lots of curve balls hitting as the Rays June 1 deadline looms, including the taxpayer's subsidy for a new Rays stadium has doubled to over $2 BILLION.

And probably higher.

Bonds will be issued to fund a new stadium. None of the financial analysis presented includes the interest and debt costs the taxpayers will be forced to pay the bondholders. That curve ball adds hundreds of millions of dollars to the taxpayer's bill.

Vulnerable sales tax revenues tank first when there's an economic downturn. 

It's not Hillsborough County's first rodeo dealing with tanking CIT tax revenues while enriching bondholders. It happened in 2007 when Ken Hagan pushed the then commissioners to bond out the last 20 years of the 1996 CIT funds and the big recession hit in 2008.

Remember voters were told in 1996 those funds would NOT be bonded out but spent in 10 year increments on roads and new infrastructure.

CIT revenues tanked in 2008 and taxpayers were forced to pay the bondholders first instead of funding projects they were promised. 

That was the beginning of the end of Hillsborough County properly funding roads. No wonder almost 20 years later, county roads are such a mess. 

Voters were told specifically by super majority of county commissioners in 2024, including Ken Hagan, that the renewed CIT funds would NOT be used for any NEW stadium. 

Deja Vu? Another curve ball now hitting the taxpayers in the face.

Remember the 2018 All for Transportation tax hike referendum ballot language was ruled Unconstitutional by the Florida Supreme Court. The 2022 All for Transportation 2.0 tax hike referendum ballot language was ruled misleading by a District Court judge. It was allowed to remain on the ballot when appealed by the County, and thankfully defeated at the ballot box.

More curve balls will hit the taxpayers in the face if lawsuits are filed against the County regarding the 2024 CIT renewal referendum if commissioners vote to use CIT for the Rays stadium.

Another curve ball is what are the opportunity costs of subsidizing a stadium benefiting the city of Tampa that neglects the rest of Hillsborough County? Does anyone know? What economic growth would occur more fairly throughout the entire county if taxpayers were not handing Billions to the Tampa centric Billionaires? Why hasn't such analysis been done and publicly presented? 

The HCC land has not been appraised. No one has told taxpayers what it will cost to move HCC to a new location. We're also all state taxpayers so we'll be paying for all those costs too. There's no "free" lunch as another curve ball hits the taxpayers in the face.

A "Stadium District" CRA will be created that forces the increase in property tax revenues to stay in the District. This is unfair to the rest of the County and city of Tampa taxpayers - because those funds would normally be distributed more fairly to benefit those throughout the County and city of Tampa. CRA's are known for corruption and benefiting crony donors and another curve ball that hits taxpayers in the face. 

The touted economic benefits of publicly funding sports stadiums is selling snake oil. 

From the St. Louis Federal Reserve:  

In spite of all of these economic arguments, economists generally oppose subsidizing professional sports stadiums. When surveyed, 86 percent of economists agreed that “local and state governments in the U.S. should eliminate subsidies to professional sports franchises.”

They [Economists] often stress that estimations of the economic impact of sports stadiums are exaggerated because they fail to recognize opportunity costs. Consumers who spend money on sporting events would likely spend the money on other forms of entertainment, which has a similar economic impact. Rather than subsidizing sports stadiums, governments could finance other projects such as infrastructure or education that have the potential to increase productivity and promote economic growth.

Hillsborough County stated in 2024 that a renewed CIT half percent sales tax would generate $200M in the first year and grow 3% per year over the life of the tax. At that time sales tax was still being collected for commercial leases.

The State legislature eliminated sales tax for commercial leases effective 10/1/2025. At the Stadium workshop this month, the County reduced the CIT revenue estimates by 8% that was estimated to come from commercial leases, stated the economy had slowed but increased the CIT revenue growth rate to 3.7%....at the request of the Rays who actually wanted to show a 4% growth rate.

The end game of lower CIT revenue, even with a higher projected growth, is there is NO CIT surplus. Why didn't the County tell the Rays the $200M initial baseline revenue was wrong? Claiming there will be a CIT surplus is not true and another curve ball hitting the taxpayers in the face.  

The most alarming curve ball presented at the Stadium Workshop was for the Rays to loot the County's Cash Reserves. This has never been discussed publicly before and apparently astonished some commissioners.   

The irony in all the years of Ken Hagan claiming the County must protect its Reserves to protect its credit rating. 

Unless the Rays get to loot them.... 

The County recently told the Rays they cannot "complete the deal" by the Rays June 1 dateline due to their process to finalize takes 60-90 days. 

The Rays are still demanding a vote by the commissioners to approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in May.

But public opinion opposes the use of taxpayer funds to build a new Rays stadium and subsidize development to enrich the Rays Billionaire owners.

And this is the arrogance of Ken Hagan, who's been pursuing a new Rays stadium since 2010, treats the taxpayers:

The county also wants the Rays to cover a $75 million shortfall in public funding outlined during the workshop.

“I say somewhat jokingly, on a $2.3 billion project, that’s almost a rounding error,” Hagan told WDAE.

The taxpayer costs have doubled, the deal is still sketchy with too many unknowns and the costly curve balls keep coming to hit the taxpayers in the face.

This Stadium deal is selling Snake Oil.

And the real joke will be on taxpayers stuck funding another Billionaire's stadium black hole if the Rays Stadium Subsidy Scam is not stopped now.

-----------------------------------------

Contact county commissioners 

Liars Trying To Use Renewed CIT Funds for a New Rays Stadium

Lies, Lies, Lies and More Lies!

Hillsborough County voters and taxpayers are facing a crisis of lies regarding the use of CIT funds for a new stadium.

The chicken or the egg??? Did the Rays approach Hillsborough County or did Commissioner Ken Hagan approach the Rays about using funds from the 15 year CIT (Community Investment Tax) renewal for a new Rays stadium?

A good bet it was a mutual approach. The Rays want a new stadium, Ken Hagan wants a new stadium and they both want taxpayers to subsidize it. 

Hagan's been so hell-bent on a new stadium that he has refused to honor the intent of term limits in the Hillsborough County Charter. For 24 too long years, Hagan used a loophole to keep leap frogging back and forth between single district and countywide commission seats to keep pursuing a new Rays stadium....even though he should have been term limited years ago.  

There is a major problem with the County trying to use the new CIT tax dollars for a new Rays stadium and a land grab that enriches the Rays new Billionaire owners. 

Intent.

The voters were told in 2024, the renewed CIT would NOT be used for a new sports stadium. The renewed tax would be used for much needed infrastructure and public safety in the growing county. 

Hillsborough County Wants to Put Sales Tax Referendum On the November Ballot But What About the Voters?

Hillsborough County commissioners held a Workshop on February 14th to discuss to plan placing another One-Half Percent (NOT One-Half Cent) Community Investment Tax (CIT) aka the Stadium tax on the November ballot. 

The Stadium/CIT sales tax is a local sales tax that can be used to fund capital infrastructure projects.

The current 30 year Stadium/CIT sales tax expires in December 2026. The County should have been publicly discussing their referendum intent for November 2024 long before February 14th 2024. They did not. Why?

Hillsborough MPO's $32 Billion Congestion Creation Plan

As we posted here and here, the Hillsborough Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) used a push poll marketing campaign to capture flawed data they wanted as input to the MPO's 20 year 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). This long range plan is for years 2026-2045.

Not only was the data they captured in their push polls flawed, their proposed $32 BILLION 2045 LRTP is seriously flawed with inconsistent data, incomplete information, and false assumptions.

The MPO has scheduled a pubic hearing for tonight at 6pm on the 2045 LRTP. Their 2045 Public Hearing "Draft" document is a marketing brochure with few details and no back up information. We wonder if the MPO Board can decipher and understand this plan much less the general public.

Pass the $16 Billion Tax Then Ask Questions

After the $16 Billion Vinik funded rail tax passes, the Vinik bailed out Tampa Bay Times is now asking questions they should have been asking before the election.

The Times began asking what happens to the 10 year $812 million road funding plan the county commissioners had already voted to fund. The Times made endorsements in county commission races and they somehow "forgot" to ask any of the commission candidates this question. They did not ask any sitting commissioner before the election either.

The Three Faces of Hagan

Anyone who has been a county commissioner for 16 long years has a history. One's own political history is the best predictor of what one will do in the future, not campaign rhetoric.

Therefore, what does one do when their political history includes growing local government, ballooning the bureaucracy, blowing out future Community Investment (CIT) revenues, pushing for unnecessary massive tax hike boondoggles - multiple times - and pursuing a billion dollar baseball stadium to subsidize and enrich another wealthy sports team owner? They try to rewrite their own history.

Today we can clearly see the "Three Faces" of Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan. Two of the faces reflect Hagan's actual past history. The third face is Hagan's self-described campaign rhetoric in his campaign mailers trying to rewrite his own history.

Hagan even used a picture of him and Gov. Scott from 2012 without Scott's approval. Isn't that illegal or at least unethical? Ironically, Gov. Scott touts the need to get rid of career politicians - that includes Hagan.

Fiscal conservatism includes lower taxes, less spending, less debt and smaller government.

While Hagan self describes himself as "conservative" in his campaign rhetoric, let's review some history.

Most of the property tax millage rate cuts Hagan touts were made during the housing bubble. Property tax revenues were flooding County Center from escalating property values and new growth while property owners were getting angry about the increasing property taxes.

Floridians were so angry about escalating property taxes that the state legislature passed a bill in 2007 to roll back property tax rates to 2006 levels and mandated deeper cuts based on how much a local government collected in property tax dollars. In addition Amendment 1 was overwhelmingly passed by voters in 2008 64-36% that added an additional homestead exemption, the portability of Save Our Homes benefit and an assessment cap on non-homesteaded property.

Even with some millage rate cuts, according to tax-rates.org:

Hillsborough County has one of the highest median property taxes in the United States, and is ranked 376th of the 3143 counties in order of median property taxes.

Hillsborough County's Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports (CAFR) reflect Hillsborough County became the second largest county employer behind the Hillsborough County school system after Hagan was elected in 2002. The number of county employees rose from 9,774 in 2003 to 11,169 in 2007, an increase of over 14% (approx 1400 employees) in FOUR short years. (Note: The 2017 CAFR reflects the county is currently the fourth largest county employer with 9336 employees.)

Then the recession hit in 2008 and the county had created its own big problem. It had ballooned the bureaucracy, was blowing thru county tax dollars like a drunken sailor and wrongfully assumed the housing bubble would never burst - aka bad judgment.

The county was then forced to make cuts to balance the county budget. Where did the county decide to cut? Transportation - which is a primary responsibility of local government.

Transportation funding got a double whammy hit with the recession under Hagan's tenure. The county diverted ALL property tax revenues previously funding transportation to other places to balance the budget. In addition, the Community Investment Tax (CIT) funding for transportation evaporated because the county had gone on a huge debt spree of borrowing against future CIT revenues right before the recession hit.

In 2007, Hagan, who led the Transportation Task force, and then county debt/bond manager Mike Merrill recommended the risky huge borrowing against future CIT revenues - just 11 years into the 30 year tax. This broke the promise the county made to spend the CIT revenues in 5 year increments as part of their 5 year Capital Improvement Plan (CIP).

Merrill told the commissioners in 2007 that the CIT tax would continue growing leaps and bounds and CIT revenue growth would be so great there would not be any problems funding future needs. Such bad judgment. Everyone else knew the housing bubble was going to burst at some point. The borrowing spree tied the hands of future commission Boards for years after the recession hit.

And Surprise! In 2007 Hagan's close PR confidante Beth Leytham was hired and paid with county tax dollars to be a consultant to his Transportation Task Force. Sound familiar?

When the county commission voted in 2009 to fire then county administrator Pat Bean, it was Hagan who recommended and lined up debt manager Mike Merrill to replace her - promoting the person who had provided such bad judgment to blow out future CIT monies.

Hagan's transportation task force was in two phases. Phase 1 borrowed the future CIT revenues and Phase 2 pushed the 2010 huge 30 year 1% rail tax hike.  In the 2007 BOCC meeting where Hagan pitched his debt spree, he also stated (emphasis mine):

THE SECOND PHASE, WHICH WILL BEGIN IN THE FALL, WILL FOCUS ON LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS, WHICH PRIMARILY INCLUDE LIGHT RAIL OR COMMUTER RAIL OR RAIL OF SOME FASHION.

Three years later when the unemployment rate in Hillsborough County was running 10-11%, Tax Hike Hagan voted at the May 13 2010 public hearing to put the multi-BILLION dollar rail boondoggle sales tax hike on the 2010 ballot. While many Hillsborough County residents were still hurting and struggling from the recession, Hagan decided it was time to put a sales tax hike on the ballot. Hagan was Chair of the county commission in 2010.

Again - such bad judgment! The multi-BILLION dollar tax hike was not conservative and certainly showed no compassion for those still financially reeling from the recession. Thankfully it was overwhelmingly defeated because it had a basic 3rd grade math problem and was a bad plan.

Tax Hike Hagan's pursuit of huge tax hikes and his alter ego District Rays Candidate Hagan's pursuit of a billion dollar baseball stadium have been a package deal for almost a decade. As we reported here, Hagan invited the baseball coalition to speak at the May 19, 2010 BOCC meeting immediately after he had voted to put the rail tax on the November ballot.

The tax hike came back courtesy of the crony Go Hillsborough (GH) campaign in 2014 as Hagan was heading toward his second countywide term. The District Rays Candidate Hagan saw his stadium clock ticking away. His alter ego Tax Hike Hagan knows he needs a new funding source to pay for a billion dollar stadium and he saw the GH tax hike as the ticket.

After getting the Parsons/Leytham team in place for the GH tax hike by August 2014, District Rays Candidate Hagan began actively pushing the baseball stadium issue.

By January 2015 with the tax hike GH campaign underway, District Rays Candidate Hagan and his alter ego Tax Hike Hagan had his baseball and tax hike agenda both lined up. The District Rays Candidate Hagan had gotten his secret baseball committee created and got the county to hire an expensive NY baseball law firm Foley and Lardner to negotiate with the Rays. 

The GH Parsons/Leytham team had to propose another 30 year tax hike because that was always part of the phony campaign. In the middle of the GH community meetings, Tax Hike Hagan came out supporting a tax hike. 

Tax Hike Hagan voted for the unnecessary 30 year, $7 BILLION tax hike at both Go Hillsborough public hearings in 2016. Apparently Hagan's "when you cut taxes, you ignite job growth" slogan is his lip service and meant only for his campaign flyers.

Tax Hike Hagan held local road funding hostage for almost a decade while he pursued multiple  massive county tax hikes for trains. This #FakeNews flyer of false advertising reflects how Tax Hike Hagan will say anything to get elected.  

Tax Hike Hagan flyer full of egregious False Advertising

It was Tax Hike Hagan who fought Commissioner Murman's proposal to use growth of the existing budget to fund roads and transportation. Because of Tax Hike Hagan, Murman's original proposal got watered down. (Transcript of August 10, 2016 BOCC Budget Workshop meeting can be found here.)

District Rays Candidate Hagan is now pursuing some creative public financing scheme scam to fund the billion dollar baseball stadium. Incurring another huge round of debt putting taxpayers at risk to subsidize a wealthy sports team owner is not conservative or fiscally responsible.

Who should you believe -  Hagan with a history of bad judgment or Economists?

"The idea that sports is a catalyst for economic development just doesn't hold water."
—Robert Baade, sports economist 

When surveyed, 86 percent of economists agreed that "local and state governments in the U.S. should eliminate subsidies to professional sports franchises.. 

In a 2017 poll, 83 percent of the economists surveyed agreed that "Providing state and local subsidies to build stadiums for professional sports teams is likely to cost the relevant taxpayers more than any local economic benefits that are generated.

The history of District Rays Candidate Hagan and his alter ego Tax Hike Hagan is pushing massive unnecessary sales tax hikes and risky financing schemes and pursuing a billion dollar baseball stadium. Words on his campaign flyer are just rhetoric to get elected.

The District Rays Candidate Hagan and his alter ego Tax Hike Hagan's donor base, who cannot even vote for him, (from his campaign filings with the SOE) is who he is beholden to.

After 16 too long years as a career county commissioner, Hagan is running again for a single district seat he already held. He is doing what no other commissioner has done since Hillsborough county's Charter was implemented in 1983 - violating the intent and spirit of the term limits in the Charter.

There are Three Faces of Hagan: Tax Hike Hagan, District Rays Candidate Hagan and Hagan's self-described [false] narrative of "Conservative" Hagan.

But the Three Faces of Hagan have a Primary challenger, Chris Paradies.

That provides an opportunity for voters in District 2 to reject all Three Faces of Hagan in this months Primary.

—————————————————————————-
Vote by Mail ballots are out
Early voting is August 13-26
Primary election day is August 28

A Victory for Taxpayers - Now County Center Must Commit to Making Board Policy Work

The Eye was at the county commission Transportation Workshop last Wednesday. The video of that meeting can be found on the HTV website by selecting the meeting date August 10, 2016. Everyone should watch it. 

The Workshop was opened for public comment. All but one of the citizens who spoke were supporting Commissioner Murman's proposal for an ordinance to use our growth revenues within our existing budget to fund our roads and transportation.

It has taken years to get here, but finally the county commissioners voted 6-1 (Miller voted no) to pursue a Board policy requiring 1/3 of our new revenue growth to be put aside to fund our roads and transportation. The Board policy language will be brought to the September 8th BOCC meeting for approval. 

While Murman's proposal will be accomplished through a board policy and not an ordinance, this is a seismic shift from where we were a year ago. 

This is a victory for the taxpayers of Hillsborough County.

After Hagan fought the effort with Merrill (watch the video), he ended up voting for the motion. We will watch closely to see if there's an attempt to obstruct the intent of the policy or water it down when the policy is up for Board approval September 8th.

The eventual 6-1 vote is not representative of the discussion that actually occurred at the meeting. Hagan's mocking comments did him no favors but they are recorded for all to see.

County Administrator Mike Merrill brought in the big guns, the county's financial advisor and bond counsel, to provide their comments on Murman's proposal. 

Budget Director Tom Fesler presented an analysis on 10 years of revenue growth, analysis of 1/3 of new revenue growth going to transportation and 10 years of funding analysis. The budget analysis was done based on numerous factors including estimated population growth, estimated inflation rate and estimated growth rate. 

The presentation was flawed, however, as Commissioner Murman pointed out Merrill had left out 20% of the revenues in the analysis. Somehow the Times failed to report that tidbit.

This is the first time we've ever seen such level of analysis during the budget cycle. Unfortunately, too many budgets recommended by Merrill have simply been rubber stamped, no questions asked.

We're a growing county and their doom and gloom attitude towards funding transportation within our existing growing budget was quite astonishing. More astonishing when we continue to watch Merrill pull tens of millions of dollars out of his rabbit's hat to spend on all kinds of other things. 

This behavior is no longer acceptable!

The meeting showcased that County Administrator Mike Merrill and Commissioner Hagan do not want to prioritize our county's budget. 

Neither does the Tampa Bay Times. According to their Sunday Op-Ed, prioritizing our county budget is an "empty gesture".

The county is not creating a new revenue stream for transportation; it's merely raiding money already there.

Their attitude is absurd and out of touch with reality and the electorate today. 

The Tampa Bay Times would better serve their readers if they started questioning the county budget. There are a number of questionable oddities including ghost projects being financed by debt and budgeting for capital projects with no known operating costs. These oddities go against any normal budget process we know and is not good governance. 

The Times should look at past budgets of a decade ago or more ago. They prove that the commissioners will re-align spending to higher priorities, including towards funding our roads and transportation. 

The county commissioners are elected to make tough decisions not rubber stamp unelected bureaucrat Merrill's budget recommendations. If the commissioners can't, won't or refuse to make tough budget decisions that the rest of us must do everyday, they need to find another job.

As we posted previously, 69% of those polled last year during the Go Hillsborough campaign stated the county needs to do a better job spending what we already have. 

How is that done? By prioritizing the budget to fund our highest priorities FIRST.

If the county cannot prioritize it's spending, there's no limit to the expansion of local government and no limit to what the county will spend OUR tax dollars on. 

If the county cannot prioritize its spending, then the county is telling the taxpayers that everything must be a priority. 

No one believes that. 

But we get it. Merrill, Hagan and the Tampa Bay Times want a new baseball stadium and costly trains. They know the county will have to pick our pockets more to get them.

The county was forced to prioritize our budget during the recession. The services that the county cut the most was our transportation funding. They diverted all property taxes that historically always funded our roads to other things when the recession hit. 

However the county refused to re-appropriate those dollars back to transportation as our revenues began going up and up and up.

When forced to, the county had to prioritize. When our revenues are healthily increasing, suddenly the county cannot prioritize. What hogwash!

Requests were repeatedly made by citizens during the budget process over the last few years for the county to fund our roads and transportation. Those requests fell on deaf ears. 

Why? 

Because the tax hike and spenders down at County Center, Mayor Buckhorn, their cronies and special interest backers and our local media (Tampa Bay Times) want another sales tax hike referendum.

According to this recent Tampa Bay Business Journal article, Mayor Buckhorn, wants to get behind a citizen petition led referendum to force a sales tax hike get on the 2018 ballot. 

Buckhorn also stated this in the TBBJ article:

“I would think that if [St. Pete] Mayor [Rick] Kriseman and I had the ability to do that within the municipalities that we could pass it and we could fund the beginnings of a transportation system, particularly rail, that would link downtown St. Pete to downtown Tampa and the airport,” Buckhorn said.

We'd like to see the financial viability of that business case. 

Buckhorn, the mayor of downtown Tampa only, is now living in the twilight zone.

Remember it was Buckhorn on the Tampa City Council back in the 1990's who was the lone NO vote on the Tampa Streetcar. He said it did not have a long term viable business model. And he was right.  

CIT revenues are another local funding source for transportation capital projects. 

Those who continue fretting and lamenting that the county cannot prioritize our budget to fund our roads and transportation know that the CIT tax will come up for reauthorization between now and 2026 when it expires.

It was the county who blew out the entire CIT future revenues for unincorporated Hillsborough. Who recommended doing that in 2007? Commissioner Hagan and then county Finance guy Mike Merrill. 

Talk about actually raiding and financially constraining future county commission boards….Where was the Times back then? Crickets……

That is why we doubt taxpayers will stomach another 30 year tax and believe there should be no attempt to extend the CIT for longer than 10 years. 

The MPO estimates that extending the CIT out to 2040 (14 years), using a 3.58% growth rate, unincorporated Hillsborough would receive over $1.7 BILLION of new revenues. If the CIT was extended for 10 years, the county would probably receive over $1.5 BILLION.

MPO's CIT revenue estimates if extended
from MPO's 2040 LRTP

Before the CIT comes up for reauthorization, the county must prove they are being good stewards of the money they already receive. Trust must be earned back. 

Prioritizing our budget is how to get that done.

This move by the commissioners to fund our roads and transportation FIRST before spending our tax dollars on pork projects, lower priority items, unnecessary spending, subsidizing special interests and wealthy sports team owners is a step in the right direction.

We would have preferred an ordinance but when this Board policy is approved, the commissioners will be put on notice that we will now watch the budget process like a hawk.

The policies of obstruction and failing to start addressing our transportation issue must come to an end. 

Because most importantly, the commissioners must have someone at County Center who is committed to making the Board policy work.

Taxpayers Beware! Sales Tax Hike Is For A New Baseball Stadium

County Commissioner Ken Hagan, Mayor Bob Buckhorn and unelected bureaucrat Mike Merrill have been the biggest champions of pushing another transportation sales tax hike.

As we posted here, Hagan jumped the shark already in April 2015 when he came out for a 30 year transportation sales tax hike smack in the middle of the Go Hillsborough campaign before funding options were even being discussed. 

Why? 

It must be because Hagan and Buckhorn want the Rays and a new baseball stadium in Tampa and they want some tax dollars to do it. 

Publicly funded Marlins stadium in Miami

After St. Petersburg allowed the Rays look for a baseball stadium in Tampa in January, immediately Mayor Buckhorn and Commissioner Hagan jumped on the new baseball stadium bandwagon. 

Ken Hagan maintains funding for any new stadium must come primarily from the team. “Any stadium deal is going to have to be primarily funded by the team and the private sector.

Then just a couple of months later in March SaintPetersblog reports Hagan states:

As negotiations continue between Hillsborough County and the Tampa Bay Rays about a potential new stadium, Commissioner Ken Hagan said on Wednesday he wants county staff to put out a request for proposal to have an underwriting team ready to sell stadium revenue bonds.

We know Hagan's passion is baseball so let's go back in time and connect some dots.

May 19, 2010 (ironically right after Hagan voted with 4 other commissioners to put the 1% rail tax hike on the ballot that went down in flames) A Baseball Coalition group presented to the county commissioners:  

In Tampa, nearly all the Commissioners who spoke went out of their way to insist that the County had no intention of poaching the team from St. Petersburg, and certainly not with any taxpayer subsidies

Every other commissioner echoed Hagan's comments on the possibility of public financing for a ballpark, such as Mark Sharpe, who said "I don't want to in any way give any indication that I'm supporting funding a new stadium when we're working on emergency services and basic core services."

June 9, 2011 Tampa Bay Times reported:

The approach is called tax-increment financing, and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan put it center-stage this week as an idea to help the Tampa Bay Rays make a new home somewhere in the county.

"It's just one of what I'm sure will be, if we get to that point, 20 different financing options that will be available," he said. (The money to build the stadium itself, Buckhorn has said, needs to come from private equity and a "significant" contribution from team owners.) 

Tax-increment revenues, Buckhorn said, would work best downtown, which is where he would hope to see a ballpark built if it ever came to pass. Additional property tax revenue generated by new hotels, restaurants and stores built nearby could repay infrastructure bonds.

Monday, Buckhorn had drinks at a downtown bar with Hagan and Beth Leytham, a public relations consultant who is friends with both, and the three discussed the idea. 

"It was purely a social visit," he said. "Inevitably business comes up, but it wasn't designed for that." 

Two days later, Hagan brought up tax-increment financing for baseball during a County Commission workshop that was partly about finding ways to pay for needed infrastructure improvements. At the moment, commissioners were talking about using tax-increment financing for other stuff, including road improvements needed around the Florida State Fair.

February 1, 2013 Tampa Bay Times reported:

Hagan has said he is not proposing any public financing if the Rays' stadium ends up in Hillsborough County.

A poll was done by St. Pete Polls in August 2013 showing little appetite for public funding of a new baseball stadium for the Rays. The poll reflected opposition to public funding of a new ballpark by a 56 to 36 percentage margin. 

Yet at the same time at a news conference Hagan and Buckhorn wanted to use growth of property tax revenues in a Community Redevelopment District (CRA) to fund a new baseball stadium. 

Most estimates of a new retractable ballpark in the Tampa Area are around $600-$650 million. Previously, Rays management has talked about paying up to a third of that amount. Another possible source of revenue could come from having the park inside an area that is already zoned as a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) which could conceivable leverage up to $100 million.

But that would still require hundreds of millions of dollars, and both men said they are intent on not raising anybody's taxes. Hagan said there are "creative ways" to fill that gap, including stadium naming rights, using the EB-5 program (where foreigners who contribute millions of dollars to a development can get citizenship in the U.S.), and parking revenues. 

"I believe, Mayor Buckhorn believes, that we can get to the magic number," Hagan said. "The challenge that we have now ... is that there's not one specific model that will be utilized in every location. The location will determine to some degree what financing options we have." 

That is using public funds. Hagan's previous statements about not using any public financing for a new Rays stadium came with an expiration date.

According to the transcript of the July 18, 2013 budget workshop where the commissioners were discussing public-private partnerships aka P3's, Hagan stated:

>>KEN HAGAN: MM-HMM. WELL, I'VE STATED THIS REPEATEDLY OVER THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT NEVER SEEMS TO GET THROUGH, BUT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY'S NOT GOING TO BUILD A BASEBALL STADIUM. I MEAN, THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS.  

AND I DON'T THINK THERE ARE VERY MANY COMMUNITIES AROUND THE COUNTRY THAT WILL FINANCE STADIUM CONSTRUCTION, SO THAT'S WHY I'M ASKING IS A P3 OPTION A POSSIBILITY, BECAUSE WE'RE NOT GOING TO BUILD ONE.   

>>KEN HAGAN: AND I DON'T WANT TO KEEP BEATING THIS -- BEATING THIS HORSE HERE, BUT YOU SAID IT, BE -- CREATIVITY.
WE'RE NOT GOING TO ASK THE TAXPAYERS TO PAY FOR A STADIUM (emphasis mine), WE'RE NOT GOING TO FUND A BASEBALL STADIUM, SO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO BE CREATIVE, AND I BELIEVE A P3 OPTION…

At a county commission meeting on October 1, 2014, it was reported

Following the lead of County Commissioner Ken Hagan, the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners today voted to have a small working group be the lead agency to work with Tampa Bay Rays officials, if and when the St. Petersburg-based baseball franchise can work out a deal with St. Pete to speak to officials in Hillsborough about a potential site for a new ballpark.  

That working group would consist of Hagan, Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn, Tampa Sports Authority CEO Eric Hart, and a member of the private sector to be named later.

Hagan not only made the motion to create this baseball stadium working group at the October 1 BOCC meeting, he also made a motion to approve 7 firms to do bond underwriting services for the county. According to the HTV transcript Hagan stated:

A MOTION ON IS B-3 FOR BOND UNDERWRITING SERVICES. THIS IS A GROUP OF SEVEN FIRMS THAT WE CAN UTILIZE OVER THE NEXT FIVE YEARS TO ASSIST IN BOND UNDERWRITING TO MEET FUTURE DEBT FINANCING NEEDS. THE BACKUP IDENTIFIES AREAS WHERE WE MAY NEED THESE SERVICES OF THESE FIRMS. IT INCLUDES COMMUNITY FACILITIES. IT INCLUDES COMMUNITY FACILITIES.  

WHILE IT DOES NOT SPECIFICALLY LIST A BASEBALL STADIUM, THIS IS CERTAINLY ONE AREA WHERE WE WILL NEED THE EXPERTISE AND EXPERIENCE OF A WORLD-CLASS FIRM (emphasis mine). AND BY APPROVING A POOL OF POTENTIAL UNDERWRITERS, THE COUNTY WOULD BENEFIT FROM EACH FIRM'S EXPERTISE, BECAUSE WHAT WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN IS THAT THEY WILL COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER FOR THE WORK, AND IT SAYS SO IN SO MANY WORDS IN OUR BACKUP WHEN IT STATES, THIS WILL PROVIDE MAXIMUM IDEA FLOW AND COMPETITION.  

BUT TO CONCLUDE HERE, BY HAVING A TEAM READY TO NEGOTIATE WITH THE RAYS AND BY HAVING FINANCIAL EXPERTS ONBOARD, THE MESSAGE WE ARE SENDING TO THE RAYS AND MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL IS THAT HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY IS READY. WE ARE PREPARED TO HIT THE GROUND RUNNING ONCE AN AGREEMENT IS REACHED.

When Commissioner Sharpe chimed in that stadiums tend to be successful when it comes to redevelopment projects, walkability and public transportation, Hagan's actual response to Sharpe (from the meeting transcript):

YOU’LL SEE THAT MOST OF YOUR RECENT STADIUMS ARE LOCATED IN URBAN AREAS, NOT NECESSARILY DOWNTOWN, BUT IN AN URBAN AREA. THEY'RE SMALLER FACILITIES, AND TRANSIT IS ESSENTIAL.  

I CAN TELL YOU FROM PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, THERE'S NO LESS THAN A DOZEN BASEBALL STADIUMS I'VE GONE TO AND TAKEN RAIL THERE, THAT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT (emphasis mine), REGARDLESS OF WHERE THE STADIUM IS ULTIMATELY LOCATED, BUT TRANSIT'S GOING TO BE A NECESSARY INGREDIENT

At the very next BOCC meeting on October 15, 2014, the commissioners voted to hire a law firm with ties to Major League Baseball. This was done through the Consent Agenda - no discussion allowed  - in a hush-hush manner not to attract any attention.

This action taken by the commissioners on October 15 was finally reported in the media by the Tampa Bay Times on January 15, 2015. 

One of the most notable steps Hillsborough County has taken toward its desire to woo the Tampa Bay Rays to the county was also one of the quietest: County commissioners in October agreed to hire Foley & Lardner, a law firm with extensive ties to Major League Baseball and a partner who is a former MLB president. 

Under terms of the one-year contract, the firm will be paid a flat monthly fee of $4,500 and attorneys can bill an hourly rate of up to $395. 

The firm's ties to baseball were not discussed at the Oct. 15 meeting where Hillsborough commissioners agreed to hire the firm. A description on the commission's public agenda said only that Foley & Lardner was being hired to provide "specialized legal services . . . related to public private partnerships and other complex transactions."

But other county officials indicated the primary reason to hire the firm was the Rays. Commissioner Kevin Beckner said he was told as much in a briefing by county staffers before the Oct. 15 vote.

October 2014 was conveniently right after the county handed the Parsons/Letham team a million dollar no bid contract to create the phony Go Hillsborough campaign to market another transportation sales tax hike referendum. Remember Leytham was with Buckhorn and Hagan talking tax increment financing back in 2011.

November 4, 2015 Tampa Bay Times reported 

Hagan said there won’t be a tax hike to pay for a stadium, and “were not going to have a sweet-heart deal such as what happened with Raymond James Stadium,” the home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Hagan is a board member for the Tampa Sports Authority, which owns Raymond James. 

Hagan envisioned a public-private partnership where the county helps pay for infrastructure improvements to support the stadium, and the Rays and the private sector pay for the new building.

So what now? 

Yesterday the Tampa Bay Times reported Rays discuss nine potential ballpark sites with Tampa, Hillsborough officials

Tampa Bay Rays executives met with Tampa and Hillsborough County officials Tuesday for their first discussion of specific potential baseball stadium sites in the county. 

Rather, the two sides discussed how each site might connect to a regional transit plan, how each might promote walkability, which ones might have easier access to parking and the ways that each site could "contribute to our goal of having the facility open 365 days a year and active to the public at large," Auld said. 

Based on where a stadium was built, officials have said there could be up to 10 different sources of funding. Along with money from the team, those could include property taxes earmarked for community redevelopment in areas like downtown Tampa, rental car surcharges, some hotel bed taxes, money authorized by the Legislature, ticket user fees and foreign investment available through the federal government's EB-5 visa program.

What exactly is going on here? 

Hagan wants to be creative about how to fund a new baseball stadium. He and Buckhorn have proposed basically the same tax-increment financing (TIF) concept Commissioners Murman and White have brought up for transportation. While Murman and White have proposed using the growth of our existing property tax revenue to fund our #1 issue transportation that would benefit us all, Hagan and Buckhorn want to use a TIF to fund (bond out) a baseball stadium that benefits another wealthy sports team owner. 

While there is talk of 10-20 different funding sources for a baseball stadium, Hagan insists an unnecessary sales tax hike is the only funding solution for our transportation needs. We previously reported here and here Hagan's attempts to take every alternative funding option off the table except a sales tax hike.

No wonder Hagan and Buckhorn have been stomping their feet every inch of the way demanding a sales tax hike. They want their baseball stadium and somehow use our existing revenues and some public money to fund it; at the same time they want taxpayers to raise our sales tax for money the county already has to fund our #1 issue - transportation. This is bad governance, bad policy and tone-deafness.

Sometime between now and 2026, the Community Investment Tax (CIT) that built Raymond James will be put on the ballot for reauthorization. The CIT reauthorization must be considered as part of the transportation funding discussion.

We believe the CIT should not be reauthorized for any term longer than 10 years when it expires in 2026. However, the MPO's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) states

Extending the CIT beyond 2026 could generate an additional $2.4 billion through 2040 for infrastructure projects.

Hillsborough MPO's CIT revenue forecast if extended thru 2040

Reauthorization of the CIT will bring another boatload of tax dollars. Between our growing existing revenues and new CIT monies, the county will be swimming in plenty of tax dollars. 

Any new sales tax hike will simply create a huge county slush fund for a new baseball stadium, to subsidize more special interests, fund more pork projects and grow county government even bigger.

Taxpayers should never allow that to happen.

Much of the transportation initiative was orchestrated over the last 3 years and so too has Hagan's efforts to entice the Rays with a new stadium in Tampa. We posted here how Leytham, Hagan and Merrill were scheming behind the scenes about a sales tax hike.

The local power brokers know what is going on and the media is fed sound bites for the public to munch on but Hagan was quoted in a March Tribune article:

Talks between Hillsborough County leaders and the Tampa Bay Rays will be held behind closed doors to shield the team’s thinking about possible stadium sites and protect its negotiating position. 

The Tribune reported more scheming in March:

New ideas floated Friday included a state-of the-art training center that could double as a community wellness center, perhaps in partnership with local universities, Auld said.  

The many kitchens where game-day food is cooked for fans could be used for a culinary institution or training facility. 

“We call it reconstructing the ballpark,” Auld said. “We’re going to look at every single piece of the stadium, ask the community how can we make that part effective for you year round?”  

Hagan said that perhaps could make the use of tax dollars for part of the stadium cost more palatable for the public(emphasis mine). 

“They’re looking at other areas where a ballpark could really help to assist with various community needs and taking advantage of our cultural assets,” he said. “It’s a new paradigm with respect to the facility."

The scheming and lack of transparency associated with both efforts should be disturbing to all. 

The scheming proves that Hagan knows the public has no appetite for publicly funding another stadium for a wealthy sports team owner. We all know the fiscal mess that happened in Miami with the Marlins new stadium.

Noah Pransky's Shadow of the Stadium blog has been following the shadowy movements and undertakings by those pushing for the Rays and a new baseball stadium in Tampa.  

Noah's latest blog post titled Hillsborough, Rays Talk Stadium Locations; Still Pretend $200+M is Hiding in Sofa Cushions sums things up quite nicely: 

So to summarize, Hagan hasn't figured out how to pay for a new Rays park in Tampa; he hasn't figured out how to redirect general revenue funds toward baseball without anyone noticing; and he hasn't figured out how to weasel his way out of his "no new taxes" pledge.