Florida House Approves Tax Rebate For Sports Teams

It's interesting to see the Florida House moving faster to give tax relief to sports franchises than home owners.

A bill that would give $2-million a year in additional sales tax rebates for the Tampa Bay Lightning cleared a House panel Wednesday. "We're moving the ball, yard by yard," Rep. Trey Traviesa, R-Tampa, after the vote in the Economic Expansion and Infrastructure Council. But the bill has another stop before reaching the full House. The bill would double the current $2-million the Lightning and other professional sports franchises currently receive. Rep. Susan Bucher, D-West Palm Beach, questioning the appropriateness of giving out hundreds of millions at a time when health care and other services are being cut.

I have stated before why this is a bad idea. Sports franchises aren't longterm moneymakers for cities.

Over to you Jim.