Louie, Lou-aye, OH, baby

Happy Monday to you. First of all, allow me to plug the return of the weekly live chat here on TroxBlog at noon Tuesday. I'll be here live, taking reader comments and questions about current events in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

This handsome fellow to the right is Louie. He is eight weeks and two days old. He is half Weimaraner and half black lab. We brought him home from his foster parents yesterday and he is doing famously.

Now, on other fronts:

* If Florida Democrats can raise $6-million and hold their own mail-in, "do-over" primary, that's fine by me. They can vote as many times as they want. But to prevent this mess in the future, here's an idea: change state law to allow each major party to set its own primary date as long as the party is willing to pay for the election itself.

* Check out this summary of the political fights in St. Pete Beach written by my colleague Nick Johnson. It's as bitter and divided as a community has been around here, and the dividing line is growth. I still stand by my last column on this topic -- I supported the citizens when they petitioned for voter control over growth, and I support those citizens who are now petitioning for different rules that would allow more growth. In short, I am a petitioning kind of guy.

* Speaking of which -- I think my print column tomorrow is going to be about the fact that Florida needs better rules for citizen petitions. The Hometown Democracy movement got caught up in a weird no-man's-land of Florida law. Petitions are supposed to be submitted before Feb. 1 -- but that's the same deadline for them to be verified. Basically, the government is able to block a petition drive by the expedient of simply not counting the signatures in time! There are other problems too. The key point is, even if you don't like citizen petitions, shouldn't they at least be treated fairly?

* Just in case you missed it, I highly recommend this article from Sunday's paper by my colleague Aaron Sharockman about the "true" cost of the existing Tropicana Field, which he pegs at $233-million to date, and at least $323-million by 2016 whether a new stadium is built or not. This does not "prove" whether we should build a new stadium one way or the other, but it is a highly instructive demonstration of how the costs of these things add up.

* One more time -- live chat, noon Tuesday. Stop by to join in, or just to see what folks are talking about.

Comments

[guy]

Perhaps no one has thought of this but, if the “Devil” Ray’s get to build a new stadium with our tax dollars on the waterfront, the Grand Prix will lose its long straightaway or have to go through or over the outfield there.
It will shorten the present course by almost a mile.
Mayor Baker will have a solution to this problem I’m sure, maybe we will provide smaller cars or something along those lines.
Perhaps a racetrack will be a good use for the parking lot at Tropicana Field.

Louie is absolutely gorgeous............I can already see that he is growing as compared to the original posted shot. Many hearty congratulations...........and thanks for picking such a cool blog title......

Lorraine

Speaking of racetrack rerouting.....I was at the "re-visioning" forum last Thursday, and although OUR plans had to include the chicane for the track (in other words, that part was opted out of our visioning) when my table asked what the Rays would do and how come THEY were not so restricted, the answer was that with THEM something else would be "negotiated". All within hearing distance wondered why the citizens couldn't be negotiated with to eliminate the needed chicane but that the RAYS would have that privilege.

Also please click on the URL link below that pictures another need for land by the Rays plan which we've kind of been left out of in terms of notification to the public. In looking at the Rays site plan drawing (URL below) it is evident that the Rays are proposing to remove about 100-200 parking spaces in the Mahaffey parking lot on the west side of the property in order to build their team offices along with what looks like a lot of other smaller buildings as well. Is this development known or sanctioned by the City government and or administration as part of the Ray's proposed stadium development? Is this development included within the $450,000,000 development cost as stated by the Rays (well, and we now know that the development costs as stated will likely be tripled in reality when all is said and done.....a fact we leared from Mr. Sharockman's article this past Sunday in the Times)? Team office shown bottom left of this drawing from the Rays own web site...........

http://www.majorleaguedowntown.com/Playball/Siteplan.aspx

[TH]

Seeee - the Grand Prix is not getting the respect that it should in this entire process. I find it amazing that Baker is neutral but he hasn't stated that the Grand Prix needs to continue as it is or come out in a better position if this white elephant gets passed and constructed.

[Kathleen]

How does anyone arrive at the conclusion that Baker is neutral? NONE of these plans would have been drawn without Baker's explicit approval and authorization of city staff and city monies (e.g. to place notices) to get the RFP before City Council. Has anyone heard Baker or City Council demand that the Rays abide by the terms of its current lease agreement with the City (there is NO free parking)? Why not?