The Buccaneers' Scoreboard...Saga?

In case you missed it in the Tampa Tribune yesterday, the Bucs want a new scoreboard...and they're even willing to put some of their own money into it!

Eric Hart, president and chief executive officer of the sports authority, said the team has not shared its master plans for stadium improvements with him. Hart said the sports authority’s share of the cost for the improvements has been revised down to $17.6 million.

Tampa and Hillsborough County will be asked to provide $14 million to $15 million of the total. State law requires the local governments to cover the sports authority’s budget shortfalls. The rest of the money will come from the sports authority’s reserves, Hart said.

The public money will come from the fourth cent of the 5-cent Tourist Development Tax. The fourth cent is dedicated to bond payments and capital needs at Raymond James Stadium and George M. Steinbrenner Field.

Hillsborough Co. Commissioner Ken Hagan was quoted saying, "It’s not costing the taxpayers any dollars."  A more accurate statement would be its not costing local taxpayers much since most of the bed taxes are paid by out-of-town taxpayers.

But when it comes to scoreboards, Raymond James Stadium's is one of the oldest in professional sports (16 years).  The sports authority hopes to have a replacement in-place by the 2017 BCS Championship game.