News & Public Affairs

Florida Chamber of Commerce honors legislators listen

06/26/08 Concetta DeLuco and Seán Kinane
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Tags: Chamber of Commerce, 2008 election, taxes, oil drilling, tax-swap amendment

The Florida Chamber of Commerce gathered at the Pepin Hospitality Centre in East Tampa today to discuss victories during the 2008 Legislative session and issues the Chamber will focus on during the upcoming elections.

Brad Swanson is the West Central regional advocate for the Florida Chamber of Commerce. He said pro-business groups need to go “on the offensive” to counter other activist groups who have become well-organized and well-funded.

“It is a war that we’re engaged in currently. ...

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Rays ask tourism board for $100 million listen

06/11/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Rays stadium, tourism, hotel bed tax, Tropicana Field, taxes

The financial plan for the new waterfront stadium proposed by the Tampa Bay Rays hinges on the extension of two taxes, including Pinellas County’s tourist development tax. Today in Clearwater, the county’s Tourist Development Council (TDC) heard the Rays’ request for $100 million.

TDC members were briefed by Assistant County Attorney Dennis Long about the Rays' request to use funds from Pinellas County’s 5 percent tourist development tax, also known as the hotel bed tax.

“The first two ...

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Hillsborough eyes communications department budget

06/11/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County, Budget, Taxes, Media

Members of the Hillsborough County Commission today proposed eliminating the Government Television station.

The board is looking at ways to offset $87 million in lost revenue from property tax changes and a slowing economy. The idea of dismantling or severely diminishing the county’s Communications Department, which currently has a budget slightly less than $4 million, was first on the workshop agenda.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe said he wanted the county’s television station to be more dy...

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Rays stadium closer to November referendum listen

06/05/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Rays stadium, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg City Council, 2008 election, Al Lang Field, environmental contamination, stadium, taxes

The St. Petersburg City Council today took a step closer to placing a referendum on November’s ballot for a new waterfront stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

Council member Leslie Curran asked if the Rays would withdraw their request to be on this November’s ballot, but Rays’ President Matt Silverman said they would not be willing to reconsider.

A St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll released this week said most residents want the issue on the ballot, but an overwhelming majority oppose...

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Hillsborough loses $87-million in taxes listen

06/04/08 Mitch E. Perry
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Tags: Hillsborough County, Budget, Taxes

Hillsborough County Administrator Pat Bean said today that a lower tax base and reductions in sales taxes will cut the County’s revenues for the next fiscal year by $87-million.

Bean spoke to County Commissioners today, a day before they will seriously examine the budget in a workshop. She said the housing crisis lowered property taxes, but the main reduction came from the implementation of Amendment 1, which roughly doubled the amount of each home’s value exempted from property taxes, and...

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Is Tropicana Field site too contaminated? listen

05/30/08 Seán Kinane and Kamala Chetty
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Tags: Rays stadium, Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg City Council, Stetson, 2008 election, Al Lang Field, environmental contamination, stadium, taxes

Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has given the city of St. Petersburg until July to put a deed restriction on the Tropicana Field site. Some people have concerns about whether that means that the site could not be redeveloped as hoped by the Tampa Bay Rays baseball team as part of their plan to have the city and county build them a new waterfront stadium.

The DEP’s most recent letter, dated May 8, gives the city a 60-day deadline to execute a “deed restriction for rem...

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St Pete City Council examines stadium proposal listen

05/22/08 Seán Kinane and Joyce Newnam

Tags: Rays stadium, St. Petersburg City Council, Rick Baker, Al Lang Field, stadium, taxes

The St. Pete City Council held a workshop this afternoon to discuss the proposed financing plan for the construction of a new waterfront stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and the re-development of their current home.

In their financing plan unveiled last week, the Rays contend that the existing debt that is owed on Tropicana Field would be covered by the sale of the property to either of the two developers who have submitted proposals to purchase and redevelop the property.

Joe Zeoli, man...

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The Tax Cut Myth

05/21/08 Robert Lorei
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Tags: budget cuts, budget, debt credit cards, education, taxes

Ever since the Reagan presidency, tax cuts have become an article of faith for conservatives. According to conservative economists, tax cuts, especially for the wealthy, increase the capital available for investment, expand the economy and the benefits eventually reach the wider population.

Our guests have studied the federal tax cuts given to taxpayers during the last 27 years, and they have arrived at some interesting conclusions. One of which is that George Bush’s tax cuts have put the...

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Rays present stadium financial plan listen

05/15/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: Rays stadium, Tropicana Field, taxes, St. Petersburg City Council

The Tampa Bay Rays presented their preliminary financial plan for a $450 million waterfront stadium to the St. Petersburg City Council today.

The Rays said the plan would not require any new tax funding until after 2016, when a hotel tax would have to be reauthorized to continue to fund the new stadium. Before his presentation to City Council,

But the idea of including $55 million in parking revenue generated from city parking lots as part of the 61 percent the Rays consider the privat...

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Rally against CSX rail deal in Lakeland listen

04/21/08 Seán Kinane
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Tags: CSX, Legislature, Transportation, commuter rail, labor, taxes, Lakeland

Lakeland business and labor leaders rallied today against plans for a deal between CSX and the state of Florida for a commuter rail line in the Orlando area.

About 170 people held signs and chanted in downtown Lakeland’s Munn Park, next to the rail line shared by CSX and Amtrak. Julie Townsend, executive director of the Downtown Lakeland Partnership, said that the cost to Florida’s taxpayers of the CSX deal had “gotten out of control.”

Townsend thanked Sen. Paula Dockery and Rep. Denni...

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