Times: We Want Rays to Look in Tampa, but Pinellas Should Raise Taxes Now Anyway Just in Case

Never missing an opportunity to push for a new taxpayer-funded Rays stadium, the Tampa Bay Times Editorial Board opined this weekend that Pinellas County should increase its tax on hotel and resort guests...but not spend it on anything in particular.

"The emphasis should be on remaining flexible rather than on locking in specific allocations of the revenue for tourism advertising and construction projects," the board wrote, all in an effort to remain in position to help fund a new Rays stadium in Pinellas County.

Of course, the paper has also advocated moving the Rays to Hillsborough County....but heck, if Pinellas County is newly-eligible to raise taxes on tourists, what other option would there be?  Besides not raising taxes, of course...

ALSO READ: In Trying to Advance Interests, Newspapers May Do Opposite on Rays Stadium

While the Times may be advocating county leaders keep their options open, it is also continuing to push the region into a potential bidding war over the Rays' services, which would only serve to provide the team more leverage over taxpayers.  But by now, we all know that's the end game here anyway, right?

To the editorial board's credit, the Times has maintained its position that Pinellas County should save up its pennies for a possible Rays stadium.  But on the other hand, it has all-but-ceased its one-time push for the Rays to open their books and actually show a financial need for public help.

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But fear not - even if Pinellas doesn't fund a new Rays stadium, the newspaper suggests plenty of other private businesses would be eager for taxpayer handouts, "including a new spring training home for the Toronto Blue Jays in Dunedin and a soccer stadium for the Tampa Bay Rowdies in St. Petersburg."

Maybe they missed what happened in Orlando?  Or Boston?

UPDATE 8/4: Pinellas Commissioners voted 5-2 to increase the bed tax {link to Times' site}, but without any limits or direction on what it can be spent on.

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A brief history of Times editorials on the Stadium Saga:

• 7/23/15 - In trying to advance stadium interests, newspapers may do opposite
• 6/14/15 - Opportunity cost of keeping Rays costing St. Pete big
• 6/4/15 - Council blind to economic opportunities at Trop
• 5/30/15 - Times cranks up pressure on opponents of Rays compromise 
• 5/28/15 - Hurry up and pass MOU or else we'll have to hurry up in a few years 
• 3/31/15 - Times suggests replacing councilmembers who oppose MOU
• 3/28/15 - Maybe council will finally listen to us?
• 2/23/15 - Sternberg wrong to hate on St. Pete council...that's our job!
• 2/20/15 - St. Pete should just give up now
• 12/10/14 - It's in St. Pete's financial interest to let the Rays go to Tampa
• 11/7/14 - St. Pete should amend contract b/c Rays lost their manager, GM
• 10/3/14 - Cheers, warning on Hillsborough negotiations
• 6/30/14 - Save Pinellas tax money for new stadium
• 3/31/14 - Hurry Up! Only 14 More Years to Solve Stadium Stalemate!
• 1/1/14 - Kriseman Should Solve Stadium Stalemate Within "Months"
• 12/1/13 - Message to Kriseman: no time to waste
• 11/12/13 - New mayor will bring an open mind to the negotiations
• 11/6/13 - New mayor should renew discussions with Rays
• And a bevy of Bill-Foster bashing too: Oct. 2013 | Sept. 2013 | Sept. 2013 | Feb 2013 | Feb 2013 | Jan 2013 | Jan 2013 | Oct 2012 | April 2012

The history goes further back than that, but for a good synopsis, watch my 2010 piece on newspapers cheerleading for new stadium projects.

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