Tampa Voters Love Buckhorn, Don't Love Stadium Subsidies

A local poll conducted for the website SaintPetersblog.com indicates voters in Tampa don't just approve of the way Mayor Bob Buckhorn is runing the city; they also approve of his hesitation to throw money at a new Tampa Bay Rays stadium.

When asked about Buckhorn's handling of the Rays’ dilemma, 45% of Tampa voters approved of his approach, while 21% disapproved.  As for his overall approval numbers, Buckhorn posted a strong 58%/18% favorable/unfavorable mark.

Meanwhile, among respondants, only 43% of voters in Tampa said they approved of tax dollars going toward a new stadium.  Forty-five percent of Tampa voters said they disapprove.

Of course, don't read too far into those numbers, because:

• Many of those who oppose tax dollars going toward a new stadium may soften their opposition if the question was changed to whether they approve of tourists' tax dollars going toward a stadium;
• And, as SaintPetersblog speculated, there's a good chance voters who actually approve of tax dollars going toward a stadium may change their mind when they see just how many dollars we're talking.

Read the entire poll results here.