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<\/p>\nIn the next few weeks, seven Hillsborough County commissioners and seven Tampa City Council members may take what could be the most financially impactful and politically fraught vote of their careers \u2013 whether to provide public subsidies for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\n
With county elections six months away, and city elections next March, there are already hints that political repercussions from that vote could alter or even end the political careers of those who have to take a stand on the issue.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
One of three mailers sent out by opponents of the Rays stadium<\/p>\n
Mailers have already gone out from a shadowy political committee attacking at least three of the county commissioners over the issue, suggesting they will be breaking promises and betraying voters if they support the Rays\u2019 proposal.<\/p>\n
One prominent, arch-conservative local political activist, Sam Rashid, has publicly promised \u2013 using characteristically incandescent language \u2013 to fund campaigns against commissioners who favor a public subsidy for the stadium. That statement may have led to a sheriff\u2019s office report of a threat.<\/p>\n
Florida has seen this kind of political storm before.<\/p>\n
In 2009, when the Miami-Dade County commissioners and the Miami City Commission voted to subsidize a new stadium for the Miami Marlins \u2013 a deal that quickly became regarded as a major boondoggle \u2013 the result was a seismic political upheaval.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: In reply to county, Rays push for May vote amid unresolved stadium funding issues<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThere was a tremendous backlash \u2026 For years there were problems for anyone who voted for it,\u201d said former Miami state Rep. Joe Geller, now a Miami-Dade school board member.<\/p>\n According to veteran Miami political consultant Keith Donner, political repercussions wholly or partly resulting from the vote included:<\/p>\n An upset in the Miami mayor\u2019s race shortly after the vote, in which City Commission member Tomas Regalado, who voted against the deal, crushed yes-voter Joe SanchezSuccessful recall elections two years later against two supporters, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez and entrenched County Commissioner Natacha Seijas, both by 88-12 percent. Alvarez faced voter anger over other issues including budget mismanagement, but the similar numerical outcomes suggest a common issue, Donner said.Squelching the political careers of deal supporters Miami Dade Commissioner Bruno Barreiro and then-Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, who had been considered a Democratic \u201cgolden boy\u201d with a bright future.<\/p>\n The years following the votes on the deal were \u201cthree of the most turbulent political years of my experience,\u201d said Donner.<\/p>\n The city and county had agreed<\/a> to pay about 75 percent of the cost of construction of the $515 million stadium, along with the necessary land and other contributions.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Shortly after the votes, public outrage erupted when bonds were issued and it became clear that, including bond interest, taxpayers would be on the hook for $2.4 billion or more over 40 years. The anger intensified<\/a> when team owner Jeff Loria<\/a> sold the team in 2017 for $1.2 billion \u2013 having bought it in 2002 for $158 million, according to news reports.<\/p>\n There are significant differences between the Miami public officials\u2019 approval of the Marlins deal and the Tampa\/Hillsborough officials\u2019 consideration of the Rays proposal, local officials say.<\/p>\n While Donner noted that \u201cthe business and political elites\u201d in Miami pushed for the Marlins deal fervently, several of today\u2019s Tampa and Hillsborough public officials, notably county Commissioner Josh Wostal and government staff, are asking skeptical questions about the proposal.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no clear majority among either the city or county elected officials for the deal; even those who appear inclined one way or the other say their minds are still open.<\/p>\n Tampa City Council<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Courtesy <\/p>\n Tampa District 3 City Council member Lynn Hurtak.<\/p>\n Hillsborough County<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Courtesy <\/p>\n Hillsborough County District 1 Commissioner Harry Cohen.<\/p>\n Commissioner Harry Cohen, subject of one of the attack mailers because he has said he \u201cwould love to be able to vote yes on this,\u201d still insists he must be \u201cabsolutely convinced,\u201d and isn\u2019t yet.<\/p>\n City Council member Lynn Hurtak is running for mayor and may have to campaign next spring after voting on the Rays deal.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mind is definitively not made up \u2026 but I\u2019m very skeptical at this point,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n But there are also similarities between the deals.<\/p>\n As the Rays are doing now, the Marlins cited time pressure and pushed elected officials for a quick decision.<\/p>\n The Miami-Dade commissioners approved the Marlins deal <\/a>in a vote that took place after midnight at the end of a 9\u00bd-hour meeting, according to news reports from the time.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n And as the Marlins did, the Rays are raising the prospect of moving elsewhere if they don\u2019t get approval of their terms by June 1.<\/p>\n \u201cMissing the 2029 construction timeline would materially increase costs and invalidate the proposed budget,\u201d Rays CEO Ken Babby said in a letter to the county commissioners. \u201cShould this commitment ultimately not be achievable, we would have no choice but to evaluate alternatives.\u201d<\/p>\n But Cohen said he and the other Hillsborough commissioners won\u2019t be stampeded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not doing it that way,\u201d he said of the Miami debacle. \u201cOur county administration is involved in very tough negotiations. This is going to be done deliberately and transparently \u2026 It can\u2019t be done under dark of night.\u201d<\/p>\n The controversy over the Rays proposal has created strange political bedfellows.<\/p>\n Among the leading opponents are hard-right conservatives including Wostal and Rashid, along with progressives such as former Commissioner Pat Kemp, a liberal Democrat.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t wrap my head around what they want to do to the county budget for a billionaire,\u201d Kemp said.<\/p>\n Asked about being on the same side of an issue as her political arch-enemy Wostal, Kemp replied, \u201cI\u2019m glad to be on the same side \u2013 it\u2019s the right side to be on. I\u2019m glad he\u2019s speaking up on it.\u201d<\/p>\n Conservative influencer Karen Jaroch, who has sharply criticized the deal, said much the same about Kemp.<\/p>\n \u201cI want to be on the right side. If Pat Kemp has found herself there, good \u2013 a broken clock,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m sorry this is being supported by Republicans.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, \u201cCenter right and center left are more supportive,\u201d said Tampa Democratic political consultant Jason Marlow.<\/p>\n Tampa City Council<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n Tampa District 4 City Council Member Bill Carlson.<\/p>\n City Council member Bill Carlson, also running for mayor, said he\u2019ll decide only after the last of the council\u2019s public hearings and seeing details of the deal \u2013 negotiations between the Rays and county staff have not produced a deal yet \u2013 but sees arguments for and against.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m very fiscally conservative and want to make sure the public\u2019s money is being used wisely \u2026 I don\u2019t believe economic impact numbers,\u201d he said. But he also noted that the deal has advantages \u2013 \u201cIt would go in a place that could use development. There could be economic benefit there, and the synergies with Hillsborough College.\u201d<\/p>\n Bob Buckhorn, the former two-term Tampa mayor who is running again, recently got a $50,000 donation from the Rays.<\/p>\n Buckhorn is the only local candidate to get money from the Rays, but he also won\u2019t be in office to cast a vote on the proposal. He said he probably won\u2019t take a public position for or against it.<\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t have a vote on it and I\u2019ll rely on those that do to get the best deal they can,\u201d he said. \u201cAs mayor I may be responsible for living with the ramifications and completing the construction.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the county commissioners who may vote on the deal May 6, Democrats Cohen and Gwen Myers face re-election in November, along with Republicans Wostal and Donna Cameron Cepeda.<\/p>\n Republicans Christine Miller and Chris Boles are up in 2028 along with Republican Ken Hagan, the strongest proponent of a stadium deal.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Hillsborough tells Rays it won’t meet June 1 stadium deadline, seeks answers on team’s financing<\/a><\/p>\n On the City Council, with all seven seats and the mayor\u2019s office up for election next March, term-limited Luis Viera plans a run for the state House; Hurtak and Carlson are in the mayor\u2019s race; Naya Young and Alen Clendenin have filed for re-election and Guido Maniscalco plans to file; and Charlie Miranda is expected to as well.<\/p>\n Miranda has historically opposed any public subsidy for sports stadiums, and even wore black to council meetings for years after approval of the subsidies for Raymond James stadium, \u201cin mourning for the taxpayer.\u201d He\u2019ll be a hard no again, he confirmed.<\/p>\n But his opponent, Hoyt Prindle, is open-minded.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m waiting to see what the final proposal is going to be,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m generally not a huge fan of public money subsidizing sports stadiums,\u201d but the accompanying mixed-use development \u201ccould produce a significant return on investment. I could end up potentially being supportive\u201d<\/p>\n Will voters react against those who vote against their wishes?<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure it will have an effect,\u201d said political consultant Marlow. \u201cThe national mood is the lunar effect that is pulling the tides. That\u2019s on people\u2019s minds more than whether baseball comes here or not.\u201d<\/p>\n He noted a recent poll that found substantial majorities of likely voters in favor of keeping the Rays in Tampa, but opposed to using sales tax money from the Community Investment Tax (CIT) to subsidize a stadium. Hagan has said that\u2019s a crucial part of the deal.<\/p>\n \u201cOnce the Rays are forced to compromise further, I think it\u2019s likely the average taxpayer will be more supportive,\u201d with the CIT money being the key issue, Marlow said. \u201cI would advise a hypothetical candidate to be cautiously optimistic about the deal.\u201d<\/p>\n Hillsborough County<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n Courtesy<\/p>\n Hillsborough County District 4 Commissioner Christine Miller.<\/p>\n But Jaroch, the conservative influencer, disagreed.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there will be political consequences if the public is informed of what\u2019s really going on,\u201d she said, citing the promise made by the commissioners when the current round of the CIT tax was approved in 2024 that the money wouldn\u2019t be used for a new sports stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cVoters voted for the renewal based on that assurance,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was a big deal at the time\u201d in part because of long-simmering dissatisfaction that substantial sums from the earlier round of the tax went for Raymond James Stadium.<\/p>\n \u201cI think you\u2019re going to see voters feeling betrayed\u201d if CIT money goes for the deal she said. Possible use of county reserve funds, which come partly from property taxes, would be \u201canother betrayal of the taxpayers.\u201d<\/p>\n Rashid directed his threats at county Commissioner Miller in a Facebook post<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are rotting carcasses of previous county commissioners buried all around (Miller\u2019s District 4) when they tried to pull the same bs on taxpayers in the past – I should know, I buried them all,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n Rashid, a business owner, has a history of using his substantial fortune to pay for mailers and other electioneering attacks on those he believes have betrayed conservative causes, and said he\u2019s willing to do so again \u2013 even though it goes against the wishes of Gov. Ron DeSantis. DeSantis backs the deal and has supported facilitating it with hundreds of millions in publicly owned land and reconstruction costs for Hillsborough College..<\/p>\n Rashid said he singled out Miller because he has heard she supports the proposal and because she represents District 4 covering conservative East Hillsborough.<\/p>\n Rashid said Miller reported his Facebook post to the Hillsborough County Sheriff\u2019s office as a threat, and that he was contacted by an investigator who decided it wasn\u2019t.<\/p>\n One of three mailers sent out by opponents of the Rays stadium.<\/p>\n Miller didn\u2019t respond to messages seeking comment from the Florida Trident. The sheriff\u2019s office produced no records of the incident; Rashid said the matter was handled informally with no documentation produced.<\/p>\n One of three mailers sent out by opponents of the Rays stadium Rashid is widely suspected of being behind mailers that have attacked Cohen, Hagan and Miller because of their potential support for the deal, but he denied that.<\/p>\n \u201cChristine Miller campaigned as a fiscal conservative \u2013 then she flipped,\u201d says the mailer attacking Miller, which included her cell phone number.<\/p>\n \u201cRays owner now demanding $2.25 billion in public stadium spending, land, and tax breaks,\u201d says the attack on Cohen.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m aware they are being attributed to me,\u201d Rashid said via email. \u201cSomeone obviously wants me to be the boogieman. \u2026 I\u2019ll wait for the vote outcome before I even consider getting involved.\u201d<\/p>\n The mailers say they\u2019re being sent by the Orlando-based Ax the Tax Committee formerly prominent for opposing taxes for public transit projects in Orlando and Tampa.<\/p>\n However, that committee no longer exists, according to a Trident examination of state campaign finance and corporate records.<\/p>\n This article<\/a> first appeared on Florida Trident<\/a> and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In the next few weeks, seven Hillsborough County commissioners and seven Tampa City Council members may take what…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":247431,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[135,137,136],"class_list":["post-247430","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-headlines","tag-tampa-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247430","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=247430"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/247430\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/247431"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=247430"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=247430"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=247430"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/1777222951_522_.jpeg\"\/)
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