Hillsborough County commissioners learned Wednesday that only the governor can remove one of their four appointees to the Tampa Sports Authority. They also learned the agency, which manages Raymond James Stadium, has no authority to police itself.<\/p>\n
Left without recourse and concerned about the authority\u2019s inability to enforce its own code of ethics, the commission then took a step that could get Gov. Ron DeSantis involved.<\/p>\n
Commissioners unanimously passed a motion requesting the county attorney gather for review the sports authority\u2019s meeting minutes, financial disclosures, and members\u2019 property and financial records.<\/p>\n
ALSO READ: Hillsborough county attorney clarifies commissioners can’t remove sports authority members<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cWe have a fiduciary responsibility to our taxpayers as a funding entity of the Tampa Sports Authority, before we send them another dollar, that they are acting in accordance with proper ethical standards and within the bounds of the law,\u201d Commissioner Christine Miller said.<\/p>\n The motion by Miller also calls for staff to draft letters expressing the county\u2019s concerns to DeSantis, the Hillsborough State Attorney’s Office and sports authority itself.<\/p>\n The motion comes in the wake of Miller\u2019s June 3 request that the county attorney rule on how Hillsborough\u2019s TSA appointees could be removed midterm. On Wednesday, Miller suggested she \u201copened Pandora\u2019s box\u201d that brought up \u201cserious ethical issues.\u201d<\/p>\n A few days after Miller\u2019s request, a local attorney and state-registered lobbyist sent a letter to the sports authority alleging that four board members owned property that created a conflict of interest tied to a proposal to build a Tampa Bay Rays stadium.<\/p>\n ALSO READ: Tampa Sports Authority rejects local attorney’s claims of conflict of interest<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe only way that this can even be reviewed is a letter by a body or concerned citizen directly to the governor,\u201d said Miller, who was appointed to the commission by DeSantis in 2024.<\/p>\n No commissioner has accused a TSA board member of wrongdoing, but Miller said she was astounded to learn the agency cannot provide its own oversight.<\/p>\n \u201cBy their attorney\u2019s own admission, there has been no mechanism to enforce ethics, ethical rules or to punish members who may violate them,\u201d Miller said of a June 14 letter from the TSA\u2019s general counsel.<\/p>\n At the minimum, the county review could pressure the sports authority to improve its policies and processes, said Ken Hagan, the commissioner chair and an ex-officio member of the sports authority board.<\/p>\n