"Bobby from St. Pete, you're at bat. Take a swing!"
"Okay! I was at the airport the other day and Phil was there. He's getting on a plane going to Newark. I said, 'Hey, Phil! Good luck!' He said, 'Yeah, we're going to do it!'"
For those who don't know the players on a first-name basis, Chris Thomas explains to the rest of his listeners that "Phil" is Phil Esposito, president of the vaporware Tampa Bay Lightning.
"I have to think the National Hockey League is losing its patience," opines Thomas, host of WFLA 970 AM's "Tampa Bay Sports Line." "It has been two months."
"He looked really nervous," reports Bobby from St. Pete. "I wondered if you have an update?"
"Naah," says Thomas, waving his hand in disgust as if Bobby from St. Pete could see it. "Because the NHL doesn't believe in the First Amendment and free speech, the league has a gag order in place."
Bobby from St. Pete, satisfied, hangs up.
Thomas, 43, looks across the WFLA studio to his engineer in the next room, explaining to him on the air how the name Bob is a palindrome because it is spelled the same way backwards and forwards. Only Thomas can hear Jesse's response in his headphones, but he tells the engineer, "Jesse, you are not a palindrome, you are a meathead."
Four nights a week, Tuesday through Friday from 6:30-8 p.m., WFLA-TV Ch. 8 sportscaster Chris Thomas gives up his dinner break to spend 90 minutes talking to listeners on WFLA radio. It's worth it, both to him and to listeners. There is no more commanding presence and personality in local sportscasting on either TV or radio. Thomas has all the elements, from a voice dripping with sarcasm and bombastic exuberance to an encyclopedic knowledge of sports and a devil-may-care attitude.
Moments before the radio show begins, he and his producer, Kevin, discuss upcoming guests.
"I thought we could get (former Colts quarterback) Earl Morrall," says Kevin. "Did you ever talk to him in Baltimore?"
"Oh, sure," says Thomas. "I know Earl."
"Good talker?"
"Are you kidding? Guy's in his 50s, still wears a crewcut!"
When the show starts, Thomas chats up his listeners a bit to warm up. "We're going to have a special guest whose name escapes me," he admits, cracking himself up.
During the first commercial break, Thomas confesses his only gripe with Tampa Bay sports fans: they're too passive.
"They tend to sit back and listen," he says. "We know they're there. Sometimes I have to kick 'em in the butt. Sometimes I say, you're killing me, you're going to get me fired, my daughter's not going to be able to go to a good college ... Then they call."
Even when they do call, Thomas says area sports fans don't have the same fire in their belly found in Boston, New York, Chicago or Baltimore. "You listen to callers in big cities, they're brutal! Rabid! They're passive here," he says. "There's a latent audience of Bucs fans that want to go berserk, but what's to go berserk over? It's the worst team in the league."
Back on the air.
"Is our guest on the phone yet?" Thomas asks Jesse. "He's not? Play the music. I have to get my notes." Turning off his microphone, Thomas thumbs through his bulging briefcase and asks the engineer: "What's our guest's name again?"
The man's name is Cliff Charpentier and he's just published his eighth book on fantasy football. Thomas knows the game well and makes conversation easily. Despite his bluster, he never hesitates, never takes more than a breath between one solid question and then another.
Charpentier does not light up the phone lines and Thomas grows bored. While the fantasy football expert drones on, Thomas turns off his microphone, coughs, and says, "Guy's pretty exciting." He then closes his eyes and his forehead bangs into the microphone, as if the sportscaster has fallen into a deep coma.
The feeling is not held back from his listeners, either. "Thank you for being on the Sports Line, Cliff," says Thomas, disconnecting Charpentier. "Exciting guy, that Cliff," he says, laughing. "Not quite in the Hoyt Wilhelm league ... "
Former knuckleballer Hoyt Wilhelm played Major League Baseball far later in life than most athletes. Thomas interviewed him one night for the show. "It was dreadful," he recalls. "He kept doing this (clears his throat, with great difficulty) before answering questions. I thought he was going to die. First of all, why did you come on the show if you're going to die? And if you're going to die, don't take me with you."
Thomas never set out to be in broadcasting. His mind was set on journalism until he accidentally walked into the campus radio station at the University of South Carolina. "I heard this guy doing sports. He was horrible! I turned to this guy and said, 'He's horrible! He stinks! You ought to fire him!' He said, 'Who are you?'"
But Thomas won an audition and bulldozed his way on the air, working as both DJ and sportscaster. He worked in radio for years, in South Carolina and Baltimore, adding TV later on. This isn't the first time he's worked both media, either.
Back to the phones.
The blue computer screen to Thomas's left indicates the name of each caller, their sex, topic of interest and how long they've been waiting. Cellular car phone callers usually get through quickest.
Mike from Clearwater: "I think you and Tedd Webb should get off Ray Perkins' back."
Thomas: "Hey, I haven't mentioned his name in two days!"
Some callers are better than others, of course. They require the host's full attention. That's when Thomas puts down his latest Marlboro, his eyes narrow and focus on a point beyond the microphone, talking to it like the caller is actually in the room.
Thomas, like other talk show hosts at WFLA, has his regular callers. Kerry is distinguished by his horse laugh. Bill has a very distinctive voice. And Bill is a retiree from Detroit. Thomas prefers "open phones" to interviewing authors and minor celebs, which makes the job seem more like work.
Physically, Thomas is different than you'd expect from seeing him on TV. Instead of the de rigeour jacket and tie, he shows up at the radio studio in his golfing clothes, yellow shorts and multi-colored polo shirt. And where TV makes him look pudgy, he's not. Thomas is tall, thin, tanned and taut. The camera, she lies.
Six calls later - and discussion of Arena football, Hugh Culverhouse, the Seattle Mariners behind him - it's 7:55:01 p.m., time for the Fat Lady to sing.
"This is a marvelous country, ladies and gentlemen," says Thomas as Kate Smith's version of "God Bless America" comes up behind him. "It's a land that I love ... Stand beside her, and guide her ... From the mountains, to the prairies ... "
A year ago, a listener sent him a tape of Kate Smith singing "God Bless America." Thomas used it to close the show for a week or two as a gag. When he stopped, listeners demanded her return. Now WFLA promotes Chris Thomas and Kate Smith as "America's Sweethearts."
"Everybody needs a signature," says Thomas with a shrug. "Not only that - it shortens the show by three minutes!"
Program Notes! Upcoming on WMNF 88.5 FM's "The Women's Show": "Return of the Goddess," narrated by Merlin Stone (8/17, 24); a call-in with author Diane Stein (8/31). The show airs Saturdays at 10 a.m. ... WQYK 99.5 FM/1010 AM is carrying the Tampa Bay Buc games on both AM and FM. If you missed the first two games, you'll be surprised at how well former Buc David Logan makes the transition to the broadcast booth. ... "Live with the Governor" - you know, Lawton Chiles - airs Aug. 20 at 6 p.m. on WTKN 570 AM. The guv will be taking calls. ... WUSF 90 FM will carry John Adams' new opera, The Death of Klinghoffer, on Aug. 31 at 1:30 p.m. It is about the murder of handicapped cruise ship passenger Leon Klinghoffer aboard the Achille Lauro in 1985.
Attention All PDs! Former 95 YNF disc jockey Robert Reed asked RadioRadio to get the word out that he is still in town and looking for work. Reed, 29, has deep roots in the Tampa Bay area, having been on the scene since 1982. He and his his wife own a home in St. Pete and are looking for an opportunity to stick around. If you'd like to contact Reed, call Players at (813) 578-1400 and we'll pass it on.
Calling All Gators! Mick Hubert, voice of the University of Florida football Gators, will appear on WTKN's "Tampa Bay Sports Hour" throughout the upcoming season. His first appearance will be Sept. 3 at 7 p.m.; thereafter, Hubert will appear every Monday night. WTKN is also carrying Gator games and the "Gator Football Report," Monday through Friday at 7:53 a.m. and 6:23 p.m., as well as "Gator Hotline" with Hubert and Coach Steve Spurrier, every Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
95 on the Move! WYNF FM made several changes in its special programs. The new line-up:
Sun.: "In the Studio," 8 a.m. (Grand Funk Railroad, 8/18); "Radio Clash," 8-10 p.m.; "Powercuts," 10 p.m.-midnight.
Jay Marvin Update! The boisterous, opinionated late night talk host at WFLA recently devoted his entire show to an expose of the Liberty Lobby, which owns the Sun Radio Network and WEND 760 AM. The program was pure theater and we heard folks talking about it for days.
Speaking of Marvin, he placed another poem, this one with the Nihilistic Review.
Wanted! Reader Kevin Coldiron collectors radio station promotional materials. If you have any to buy, sell or trade, drop him a line at 11401 9th Street N, #305, St. Petersburg, Florida 33716-2310.
Let's get right to the real burning question about the rejuvenation of downtown St. Petersburg: Is there a market for the Bay Plaza Company's proposed 1-million square feet of upscale retail department stores, shops and restaurants? Forget about whether or not Major League Baseball is coming to the city by the bay for the moment; most business people want to know if there are enough shoppers with good taste and deep pockets to form a gold card quorum.
For the answer, we leap across Tampa Bay to a small Tampa neighborhood known as Hyde Park and a man named John Stevelberg.
Stevelberg knows a thing or two about the viability of upscale retail in the Tampa Bay area. As project director for Old Hyde Park Village Center in Tampa he has overseen Hyde Park's five-year development of 250,000 square feet of high-end retail. Tenants include Jacobsen's, Polo By Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Doubleday Books, The Sharper Image and Banana Republic.
How's business? Hyde Park is 90 percent leased, filling only nooks and crannies and upgrading existing tenants.
"I have a couple stores that are up three digits over last year," says Stevelberg. "Stores that did 20 to 30 percent increases are down to 10 percent because the base has grown so big. People like The Gap and The Limited are burning it up here."
Could it work in St. Petersburg?
"I've heard rumors that they're very close to announcing a department store," says Stevelberg. "If they get the right one, there's no reason they can't build a helluva project. If you could put Macy's in downtown St. Petersburg, you get Maison Blanche and you put in a 500-room hotel, you've got a tremendous draw. Macy's is not on the west coast. It would offer something unique."
The first new retail center to be built in St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront district is now complete and the city's developer/master planner is hustling to sign a Macy's, Saks Fifth Avenue, Bonwit Teller or Maison Blanche to the dotted line. * * * *
The Bay Plaza Companies have become synonymous with the words "future" and "progress" in quiet, stately old St. Petersburg.
Jackhammers broke the silence; cranes are rearranging the skyline. Marketing experts have linked city-owned attractions such as the Florida Suncoast Dome, The Pier and Bayfront Center with coral and teal patterns and snappy phrases; people have come by for a visit then returned with friends. Downtown St. Petersburg just ain't what it used to be.
Millions of dollars and a few hundred-thousand opinions have been lent to a renewal in the downtown community. Office, retail and parking spaces are being developed at an unprecedented rate in a part of St. Petersburg where excitement once meant watching green paint dry on a sidewalk bench.
"People and companies have confidence that downtown St. Petersburg can be rejuvenated," says Jack Critchfield, chief executive officer of Florida Progress. Progress is one of those optimistic corporations; its development subsidiary built the new 26-story, 330,000 square foot Barnett Tower and occupies eight floors. Fast-rising Barnett Tower, says Critchfield, "is a symbol that we believe this is a great place to live and work."
Barnett Tower is just one of many newly completed projects downtown. Across the street and east of the tower, construction is complete at Bay Plaza's South Core Retail/Parking Complex, which is intended to house a single 124,000-square foot tenant. The Sun Bank Financial Centre and 43,000-seat Florida Suncoast Dome opened in March. Downtown projects begun in 1990 include the long-awaited refurbishment of the city's pink jewel, the Stouffer Vinoy Resort, a four- or five-star, 275-room resort hotel being brought back to live after a long rest at a cost of $70 million. The Plaza, a 14-story retail and office project, is getting a $2 million facelift to open up more retail space and adapt a Mediterranean look. And the Women's Tennis Association has relocated to St. Petersburg from Miami. In addition to executive offices, the WTA will have a museum and retail shop downtown.
To develop a cohesive approach and fuel the further return of the downtown district, St. Petersburg turned to the Bay Plaza Companies in 1986. Founded by the J.C. Nichols Co. - which was responsible for creating the Country Club Plaza area of southern Kansas City - and led locally by 38-year-old Neil Elsey, Bay Plaza has a master plan for taking St. Petersburg's waterfront district into the next century.
J.C. Nichols provides the cash and assets that make the big projects associated with Bay Plaza possible. Bay Plaza is modeled after the retail district of Nichols's 8,000-acre Country Club Plaza. The company also has shopping centers in Kansas City, hotels in St. Louis, Chicago and San Francisco and apartment complexes and office parks in Des Moines, IA.
Elsey, the president of Elcor and the Bay Plaza Cos., learned property management and acquisition with J.C. Nichols before going off on his own. He bought, sold and built apartment and office complexes in Phoenix, New Mexico, Texas and Kansas City before turning his sights on St. Petersburg.
An agreement between the city and its downtown developer calls for St. Petersburg to invest an additional $40-million in the central business district, mostly for parking garages; Bay Plaza will spend $100-million. Thomas McKinnon Securities is a backer for the project.
The Bay Plaza project is the sum of three phases, South Core, Mid Core and North Core. They are a series of two-story, open-air Mediterranean style buildings intended to be built in succession (with some overlap) during the next 10 years. The completed waterfront retail district will consist of 1.4-million square feet of retail, office and restaurant space.
South Core and Mid Core are anticipated to open simultaneously in fall 1991. Elsey, who says six restaurants and virtually all available small retail positions in Mid Core have been lined up, expects to make specific lease announcements about Mid and South Core in the first quarter of the year. "There is a schedule. We're on it," he says. "It's a matter of keeping a steady hand. This project's life only begins when it's occupied. It's not the end, it's the beginning. (And) interest in this market is keen."
While no major tenants have yet been announced for any of the core projects, Bay Plaza has said publicly that AMC Theaters will likely anchor Mid Core with its largest multi-plex project to date: an 18- to 20-screen movie theater.
Phil Singleton, vice president of southeast operations for AMC, confirms the chain's keen interest in downtown St. Pete. "We've been negotiating with the Bay Plaza Companies to try and locate theaters downtown. We haven't come to terms yet but both sides are very positive. I think we'll work it out," he says.
"'Downtown' is kind of a misnomer for St. Petersburg," according to Singleton. "It's probably one of the most accessible areas serving the entire Tampa Bay area. It's so beautiful down there. Five years from now we could have another Newport Beach. We think - if they do what they say they're going to do - people are going to go there the way they go to Old Hyde Park (where AMC has a seven-plex). We think a world-class theater, similar to what we built in Pleasure Island (at Walt Disney World in Orlando) would work in downtown St. Petersburg. We're not building a neighborhood theater. We anticipate people coming from all over to Bay Plaza." * * * *
When the principals behind Country Club Plaza were invited to look at St. Petersburg's waterfront in 1986 as a potential site for redevelopment, the first question they considered was whether Tampa Bay had a need for or an ability to support high-end specialty retail shops and department stores.
"As to St. Petersburg itself and the regional questions," says Elsey, "we looked at Tampa Bay and felt there wasn't one true focal point. Where was it in Tampa Bay there could be a true recreational, retail and entertainment focal point and how accessible would that be to the most people?
"St. Petersburg is on the waterfront and we think that's a huge amenity," he explains. "The interstate access is tremendous. It has an uncommon amount of feeders that serve the area. And St. Petersburg's downtown isn't a downtown the way most people think of downtowns. It's a waterfront community, a wonderful setting, centrally located.
"Pinellas County is totally in-filled. It has one of the highest per capita retail sales rates in the state. High-end specialty retail just didn't exist - we saw that void. Our conclusion was that between now and 2000, this market deserves high-end, specialty retail," says Elsey.
Former Peace Corps worker Elsey has become "Mr. Bay Plaza" to the Tampa Bay business community.
"Neil has tremendous vision and the ability to exercise that vision," credits restaurateur Phil Alessi, one of the first businessmen to sign on to do business with The Pier.
In taking responsibility for refueling the city's downtown district, Bay Plaza insisted on being given the marketing and management reigns for St. Petersburg's triple crown jewels as part of the deal. It saw potential few others did in linking the Florida Suncoast Dome, Bayfront Center and The Pier.
The city independently made the decision to build the stadium and rebuild the Pier and Bayfront Center before Bay Plaza came to town, notes Martin Normile of St. Petersburg Progress. "The city expected to run those facilities as independent enterprises," he says. "It wasn't until Bay Plaza that there was seen some inter-relationships and cross-marketing potential.
"I think that's the genius of Bay Plaza," says Normile. "We look at the plan to develop 1-million square feet of retail and say, 'That's ambitious.' But they say those facilities (Florida Suncoast Dome, The Pier and Bayfront Center) will generate 6 million people downtown."
Elsey simply calls the three facilities "engines." The Pier is pumping at full throttle, having attracted 2.4 million visitors in 1989, its first year following renovation; the Mahaffey Theater at the Bayfront Center, now ornately attired, has been less impressive and offers little immediate hope of improvement with a performance schedule of Broadway road shows, has-beens and novelty acts; and high hopes rest on the February opening of the Florida Suncoast Dome, where dreams of "Play ball!" keep the city fathers' fingers tightly crossed. The Dome attracted 400,000 people to the downtown area in its first six months of operation for events ranging from a home & garden show (19,000) to a New Kids on the Block concert (45,000). Besides being in the running for National League baseball and NHL hockey franchises, it is scheduled to host the Davis Cup Tennis Championships in December and is one of four sites being considered for the 1992 Republican National Convention.
To get to these three engines in the near future, people will have to drive through the Bay Plaza waterfront retail district, says the master planner. "These engines are going to attract people and will continuously introduce new people to the waterfront in St. Petersburg," says Elsey. "With that kind of activity, it's a marvelous location for retail and fine restaurants."
What's most important, he adds, is that The Pier has demonstrated that a downtown location can draw a crowd.
"It is easy to get here," he says. "That's good news for The Pier but it's also a good indication of the location and the reorientation of people to the waterfront. It's also a positive sign because The Pier doesn't have near the drawing power of a high-end retail center."
The next visible sign of downtown improvement will be Plaza Parkway, a $4 million streetscape enhancement that will brighten the look of the district from Interstate 275 east to the waterfront. Changes will include new sidewalks, street lights, traffic signals, signage, benches, drinking fountains, bike racks, trees, planters and banners.
"You're going to know, the minute you get off the freeway, that you're someplace special," says Elsey. "What we thought could be true of St. Petersburg is happening."
Remaking downtown St. Petersburg into Bay Plaza is far and away the most intricate project Neil Elsey has ever undertaken. "The key," he says, "is to figure out where St. Petersburg is going, not where it's been. We see opportunity. It's not just a 'downtown' project. St. Petersburg is preparing for the 21st Century and we just happen to be involved."
Will St. Petersburg's Central Business District, or CBD as Elsey refers to it, one day be rechristened as "Bay Plaza"?
"I don't know how it will end up being referred to," says Neil Elsey. "It just happens the name of the retail district is Bay Plaza, the name of the company is Bay Plaza. How that historically will sit, I can't project. But when you land in Kansas City and you get off the plane, you tell the taxi driver you want to go to the Plaza. You don't say 'mid-downtown Kansas City.'" * * * *
Maas Brother is the only big retailer in downtown St. Petersburg. It has been a 260,000 square foot fixture for a long time. While the chain has no present plans to move to a new building or refurbish its old one, it would welcome the synergy the two department stores planned in Bay Plaza's core sites.
"We're aware of the project and are interested in whatever we can do to make it happen, short of any major changes to our store," confirms Maurice Fry, operating vice president of real estate for Federated Department Stores and Allied Stores Corp., parent to Maas. "We are waiting to see what other retail can be attracted, then we will focus on a strategy. We would consider improving our store if there was a better environment."
Stevelberg, project director for Old Hyde Park, says if St. Petersburg could reel in a Lord & Taylor or Saks, the smaller specialty stores would no doubt follow. Including new franchises of stores already succeeding at Hyde Park.
"I imagine some of them would probably be interested," he says. "I don't know why not. I'd like to say no, but if they're doing business here, why wouldn't they 25 miles away?"
Bay Plaza expects to start construction before the end of the year on Mid Core, which will offer 180,000 s.f. of retail space, less 57,000 s.f. for the AMC Theaters movie complex. "We're in good shape. The theater business is real good. The only difficulty is the 12-month construction process. After December, it's sit back and watch the bricks and mortar," says Glen Harrell, vice president and general manager of Bay Plaza Realty Co.
Shopping center developer Craig Sher, president of the St. Petersburg-based Sembler Company describes himself as a skeptic with regard to retail development in downtown St. Petersburg at a time when upscale stores can't rub two LBOs together to light a fire.
"I desperately hope it succeeds," he says, "but it's a bad retail market. That whole market is suspect now. Plus, I don't think St. Petersburg is a high-end market. It's a middle market."
Harrell says he has heard such concerns but that Bay Plaza hasn't lowered its sights one iota from bringing a single, high-end retailer to the master developer's 124,000 s.f. South Core building.
"If you look at who is prospering on the retail heap, it's only the upscale people," he says. "It's the only way to go for this type of project."
If Major League Baseball awards a franchise to Tampa Bay this summer - as many observers in and out of the game expect - credit or blame will lie with a man from Chicago.
But first, a few words about the Hatfields and McCoys of Florida politics.
St. Petersburg's Bill Bunker and Tampa's Cedric Tallis have been attending baseball's annual winter meetings for the past decade, setting up booths at the sport's trade shows, handing out Florida oranges and begging for a team of their own. Each has his own impressive credentials: Bunker had been Florida's spring training liaison to baseball for a dozen years before organizing the Pinellas Sports Authority in 1978; Tallis spent 22 years as a top executive with the California Angels, Kansas City Royals and New York Yankees until Tampa auto dealer Frank Morsani recruited him to head the privately-held Tampa Bay Baseball Group.
Each year the friends were cast as rivals, speaking for their respective side of Tampa Bay - a region the U.S. Census officially identified as a common market in 1980. And each year, the czars and czarinas of baseball gave them the same message: nice demographics, but don't expect us to get serious until you get your own act together. Baseball owners, the most elite club in professional sports, spent years trying to convince the Bunker and Tallis delegations to swallow the bitter pill of parochialism and practice teamwork.
Baseball in the 1980s had become an issue that bitterly split the 2-million people in America's 13th-largest television market. The Tampa Tribune and St. Petersburg Times led cheers for their home teams, and aimed Bronx cheers at the boobs across the bay.
A standoff might still exist today if it weren't for Jerry Reinsdorf, co-owner of the Chicago White Sox.
Reinsdorf, who had long been dissatisfied with Comiskey Stadium and fan support in Chicago, announced in '88 his intention of moving to St. Petersburg's domed stadium if the Windy City did not build him a new ballpark. He agreed to terms with St. Petersburg officials and began discussing radio and television deals.
St. Petersburg went wild. "Florida White Sox" bumper stickers and T-shirts were everywhere.
Meanwhile, Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko was outraged by St. Petersburg's pirating of his White Sox; he declared war on Florida and implored readers to flood St. Pete Mayor Bob Ulrich with dirty socks in protest. They did. The Tampa Tribune - in its first demonstration of solidarity with St. Petersburg after years of pronouncing Tampa as the only acceptable site for baseball - took out full page ads in response. "Next time you finish a delicious Florida orange, spit the seeds in an envelope and send them to Mike Royko," asked the Trib. (The seed spitting campaign was short-lived; the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, attempting to control the spread of citrus canker, objected strenuously to the mailing of orange seeds.)
In the end, the Illinois legislature voted the funds to build Reinsdorf a new stadium. Tampa Bay went through a period of extreme disappointment then recognized how close it had come. The White Sox had done what the shuttle diplomacy of Henry Kissinger could never achieve: they brought Tampa and St. Petersburg to the realization that together, they could attract baseball.
"Chicago legitimized St. Petersburg's efforts," according to Neil Elsey, president of Bay Plaza, the company recruiter to manage St. Petersburg's stadium and re-develop the city's waterfront business district. "Baseball and the Sox looked at this market and said it was good. Reinsdorf left $6-million on the table by taking the deal in Illinois."
The mayors of the two cities began to make appearances together, setting the tone for what has become known as "Hands Across the Bay." The Tampa Bay Baseball Group came to the Florida Suncoast Dome and signed an agreement to place any franchise it might land in St. Petersburg.
"St. Petersburg has the stadium and we have the ownership group," Tallis say today. "One complements the other."
In October 1989, St. Petersburg launched "Join the Team," a 30-day season ticket reservation campaign to show regional support for Tampa Bay baseball. Nearly 800 people a day placed $50 deposits for a total of 22,697 reservations. By comparison, Washington, D.C. has sold an estimated 15,000 reservations in four years and Orlando has picked up just 4,000 in a year.
"For years we heard baseball people say, 'You've gotta get together down there or there's never going to be a team,'" says Bunker. "Now we are together. We are now one group speaking with one voice instead of one for St. Petersburg and one for Tampa. People came up to me at the winter meetings this year and said, 'I see you finally came together - those season tickets, that's amazing.'"
Civic, community and business leaders on both sides of the Bay took the agreement on playing ball in St. Pete as a sign they could work together on more pressing issues such as transportation, education and cultural affairs. A tri-county economic development coalition, the Tampa Bay Partnership was formed to market the entire region. And people across the region are anxiously gearing up to host Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium in January.
"The goal from the beginning was to get baseball in Tampa Bay, baseball being good for Tampa Bay no matter where," says Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman. "The fact we've resolved where lets us move on and build bridges in other areas. We've done a lot of things collectively that had never happened before."
"People who thought they had dissimilar efforts and goals have now found they're in it together," says Elsey. "The quest for baseball did more than bricks and mortar and bridging the bay. It won a new feeling of what Tampa Bay's potential is. This will drive other projects."
It's too soon to say the fairy princess will live happily ever after - many people still perceive St. Petersburg as an old grey-haired lady balanced by an aluminum walker - but there are further signs of optimism.
Bay Plaza has finally begun to see activity in St. Pete's once desolate waterfront business district. A new 26-story class A office building will open in late '90, as will 139,000 square feet of new retail space and a six-story parking garage. AMC has plans to build the southeast's largest movie complex - 18 screens - in the downtown area and both Jacobson's and Parisian have looked at established department stores there. Bay Plaza has plans to build its own hotel across from the stadium - 440 rooms if a baseball team is awarded, 200 if its not.
If Tampa Bay does finally get its team this summer as it believes it will, credit will be shared by many people in both St. Petersburg and Tampa. But the real hero will always be a man from Chicago. Jerry Reinsdorf.
SECOND DRAFT OF SAME STORY:
There are a lot of things Americans will go to war over: taxation without representation, ethnic and racial oppression, drugs, communism and major league baseball. Baseball? The quest for a franchise between Tampa and St. Petersburg bitterly split the 2-million people in America's 20th-largest market for more than a decade, turning Tampa Bay into a watery Berlin Wall of east/west parochialism.
Tampa Bay became a leading contender for baseball - alongside Denver and Buffalo - about the same time it outgrew its Shady Grove Retirement Hotel image as God's waiting room. Its population now tops Miami/Ft. Lauderdale's and doubles Orlando's. Its untapped television market ranks 13th in the country. And St. Petersburg opened the 43,000-seat Florida Suncoast Dome in March as a baseball companion to Tampa Stadium, home of the NFL Bucanneers.
But the Bay area's largest cities were so antagonistic toward one another they couldn't agree on the time of day, let alone where and how to play ball until just recently. Even the czars and czarinas of baseball told the two sides of Tampa Bay to start acting like a team if they ever wanted a franchise to call their own. Not that expansion has had anything resembling a timetable; the last time baseball added teams, Jimmy Carter was president and two northern cities (Seattle and Toronto) got the nod.
A standoff might still exist today if it weren't for Jerry Reinsdorf.
Reinsdorf, owner of the Chicago White Sox, announced in '88 his intention of moving to St. Petersburg's under-construction domed stadium if the Windy City did not build him a new ballpark. St. Pete had rolled the dice on a $100-million stadium to take advantage of just such a situation. The city went wild on Reinsdorf's declaration. "Florida White Sox" bumper stickers and T-shirts were everywhere.
Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko was outrage. He declared war on Florida and implored readers to flood St. Pete Mayor Bob Ulrich with dirty socks in protest. They did. The Tampa Tribune - in its first demonstration of solidarity with St. Petersburg - urged its readers to spit orange seeds in an envelope and send them to Royko. (The spitting was short-lived; the Florida Dept. of Agriculture, attempting to control the spread of citrus canker, objected strenuously to the mailing of orange seeds.)
In the end, Illinois gave Reinsdorf a new stadium. Tampa Bay was depressed; even the water tides seemed low. But the White Sox had done what the shuttle diplomacy of Henry Kissinger could never achieve: they brought Tampa and St. Petersburg to the realization that together, they could attract baseball.
"Chicago legitimized St. Petersburg's efforts," according to Neil Elsey, president of Bay Plaza, the company recruiter to manage St. Petersburg's stadium and re-develop the city's waterfront business district. "Baseball and the Sox looked at this market and said it was good."
The mayors of the two cities took the reunification initiative and began to make appearances together, setting the tone for what has become known as "Hands Across the Bay." The Tampa Bay Baseball Group - a potential franchise ownership group led by developer William Mack and auto dealer Frank Morsani previously committed to Tampa - came across the water and signed an agreement to place any team it might land in St. Petersburg.
"St. Petersburg has the stadium and we have the ownership group," says Cedric Tallis, TBBG executive director and former New York Yankees exec. "One complements the other."
In October 1989, St. Petersburg launched "Join the Team," a 30-day season ticket reservation campaign to show regional support for Tampa Bay baseball. Nearly 800 people a day placed $50 deposits for a total of 22,697 reservations. By comparison, Washington, D.C. has sold an estimated 15,000 reservations in four years and Orlando has picked up just 4,000 in a year.
It's too soon to say the fairy princess will live happily ever after - many people still perceive St. Petersburg as an old grey-haired lady balanced by an aluminum walker - but there are further signs of optimism. Bay Plaza has finally begun to see activity in St. Pete's once desolate waterfront business district. A new 26-story office tower will open in late '90, as will new retail space. AMC has plans to build the southeast's largest movie complex - 18 screens - in the downtown area. Bay Plaza has plans to build its own hotel across from the stadium - 440 rooms if a baseball team is awarded, 200 if its not.
"People who thought they had dissimilar efforts and goals have now found they're in it together," says Elsey. "The quest for baseball did more than bricks and mortar and bridging the bay. It won a new feeling of what Tampa Bay's potential is. This will drive other projects."
Even if baseball doesn't come, civic, community and business leaders on both sides of the Bay took the agreement on playing ball in St. Pete as a sign they could work together on more pressing issues such as transportation, education and cultural affairs. A tri-county economic development coalition, the Tampa Bay Partnership, was formed to market the entire region. And people across the region are anxiously gearing up to host Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium in January.
"The goal from the beginning was to get baseball in Tampa Bay, baseball being good for Tampa Bay no matter where," says Tampa Mayor Sandy Freedman. "The fact we've resolved where lets us move on and build bridges in other areas. We've done a lot of things collectively that had never happened before."
Notes from interview with Tom Powers, executive vice president of Goodkin Research, Lauderdale-by-the-sea, FL.
Comparing Miami, Orlando and Tampa Bay from their economic prospects as home to Major League Baseball, Powers says, "I think any one of those spots would support the team. Obviously, given the law of numbers, if the team were to come to South Florida, there are 5-million of us, less in Tampa Bay and even less in Orlando. But the fever for baseball would be such that any one area could support it.
"Certainly two teams. I could imagine three here if you want to talk about the year 2010. I think you can support two teams now."
Powers says Florida could not yet support teams in all three cities - Orlando would be the weak link if Tampa Bay also had a team. While Tampa Bay could support a team without Orlando, Greater Orlando (Kissimmee, Daytona Beach and Melbourne) alone lacks the year-'round population that would be required to support a franchise. "I think one Central Florida team - in St. Petersburg - at this time would be feasible, not two," says Powers. "If Tampa Bay were to go after a team, where that stadium (Florida Suncoast Dome) is is fine for Tampa Bay."
(Aside from Andelman: Another potential strain on Orlando's potential: while it has successfully sold out virtually every home game of the first-year NBAOrlando Magic franchise - more than 10,000 season tickets were sold - the city was awarded the first World League of American Football (WLAF) franchise in March. Tex Schramm's NFL spring spinoff league may begin play as early as 1991. Orlando's business community will be called upon to dig deep again to buy season tickets for a sport that will begin before basketball ends and continue all summer. A MLB franchise would need season tickets during the same period.)
"Professional basketball in Miami and Orlando has been a home run, economically," says Powers.
"In my view, Orlando, Daytona and Melbourne are a market area. Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Bradenton is a market area. You look at where the Orlando Sentinel and Tampa Tribune are delivered. These markets have mentally emerged," he says. "Tampa Bay and Orlando certainly fight for resources as regions do. If you put a team there and call it the Orlando Something, they would be Orlando. I don't think West Central Florida would think of it as their team."
In the battle over corporate gunslingers and the strength they lend to a region's credibility, Powers calls it a draw between Tampa Bay and Orlando. "The edge Orlando has is this huge convention trade. If a convention is coming in, people would be interested in baseball. That's a big plus."
Turning his attention to Miami, Powers returns to the strength in numbers argument. "If it's properly located, that team should draw very well,". he says Joe Robbie learned that lesson when he moved his NFL Dolphins out of the blighted Orange Bowl and surrounding environs to a more centrally located location.
On the negative side, Powers mentions speculation that Orange Bowl officials, fed up with the Bowl, are considering moving the annual college football game that bears its name to Joe Robbie Stadium. "Miami is myopic," says Powers. "They haven't improved that facility or their image. They have done nothing to upgrade."
If he were a betting man, Powers says he'd put money on West Central Florida getting the next expansion team.
"My guess is Tampa Bay," he says. "It has the facility, it has Steinbrenner (the Yankees owner is a long-time Tampa resident). That facility is a big plus.
"I'm not saying it would be the best market.
"I would say Tampa Bay has a leg up. I think Orlando and Miami could put up a big push and come on strong to diminish that, but that's the way I view it right now."
Notes from interview with Frank Morsani, President, Tampa Bay Baseball Group
On Ken "Hawk" Harrelson's announcement that he had organized an ownership group to pursue a Tampa Bay baseball franchise:
"We've not been surprised. I was aware he had formed a group. We anticipated someone else would make an effort. His effort certainly validates our efforts and the (Florida Suncoast) Dome as a good place to have baseball."
Morsani says his group has been particularly low-key in recent weeks as far as lobbying goes. He says he has not had any direct contact with MLB in the last 30 days. A man with eight years, two minority interests in teams and a lot of chits in his pockets, Morsani has always been genteel in his dealings with baseball's hierarchy and owners. He doesn't want to rock the boat now.
"We've just been keeping Major League Baseball informed that we want a franchise, that we have everything in place to move forward," he says. Morsani says the Tampa Bay Baseball Group has been active in keeping the baseball commissioners, league presidents and team owners "informed on what's going on in our area" by forwarding all relevant newspaper and magazine clips.
Has baseball responded by return mail?
"If it's relevant to a specific question," he says, "they have responded."
As the time grows near and Miami and Orlando pull out all the stops, will Morsani get into a nasty war of words with the competing Florida cities as Miami and Orlando did over basketball two years ago?
"I think our track record indicates we've taken the high road," he says. "We think that (a shouting match) is counter-productive. We're the 13th TV market, what we did with our season ticket drive - 22,000 reservations in 30 days (now over 25,000) - we think those things speak volumes for Major League Baseball in our area."
He says that choosing a team is "in the purview of baseball. We think we can sell our wares against anyone. That's what we will continue to do."
What's next?
"We're just hopeful to receive a letter asking us to make a presentation," says Morsani.
As for the local flaps surrounding the Florida Suncoast Dome - from Peter Ueberroth's infamous letter ("Even if you build it, we won't come") to George Steinbrenner's early complaints about St. Petersburg and from community clashes over the bloated cost of the dome to a lawsuit over inadequate handicapped seating - Morsani expects MLB to rise above what he calls "community issues."
"I don't think those things are relevant," he says.
Background on Morsani:
President of Tampa-based Precision Enterprises Inc., dealer of Mercedes-Benz, Saab, Nissan, Oldsmobile, Toyota and other automobile lines; currently holds 10 dealerships in all; age 58 as of last November; other business interests include trucking, advertising, real estate, manufacturing and construction; former chairman of the Super Task Force for Internationalizing the Tampa Bay Area; former president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; although the Tampa Bay Baseball Group is Morsani's agent, he has done baseball business under the MXM Corp. banner since an attempt to purchase the Texas Rangers in '88; there was talk in March 1989 that NBA Charlotte Hornets owner George Shinn might join the ownership team but that apparently has not materialized; TBBG broke a years-long grudge with St. Pete in late Dec. 88 and agreed to join efforts with his long-time enemy; the joining hands came as a result of the stamp of approval the Chicago White Sox put on St. Pete's domed stadium after coming within 30 seconds of moving there in mid-'88; Morsani has a letter of intent with St. Petersburg, designating MXM as the exclusive dome lessee if the partnership acquires an expansion franchise.
Money partner in TBBG is William Lawrence "Bill" Mack:
Mack, age 50, is a New Jersey developer with investments in Tampa; the two pursued ownership of the Minnesota Twins in 1984 and the Texas Rangers in 1988; Bowie Kuhn - commissioner in '84 - wrote in his memoirs that he and American League President Bobby Brown met with Mack and Morsani in '84 and persuaded them "that the future interests of Tampa were not going to be served" by pursuing ownership and relocation of the Twins; in the case of the Rangers, Morsani again kept the high road, keeping Ueberroth informed of his every move; of Mack & Morsani, George Steinbrenner told the St. Pete Times, "They have every qualification to be excellent owners"; as for his real estate interests, Mack opened the 19-story One Mack Center in downtown Tampa in 1981; he broke ground on the next block for the 28-story, 416,000 s.f. Two Mack Center in 1988 and it may open by late 1990; his father, H.B. Mack, 80, in 1963 founded the company Bill now runs; here's a small circle: Mack's partner in the Mack Center projects is James Cusack, Morsani's attorney and friend; Cusack brought the two together in 1979; the St. Pete Times has described Mack as a millionaire "many times over"; he is president of the Mack Co. of Rochelle Park, N.J.; his father and three brothers are involved in the company; the Macks make their money building, leasing and managing office and warehouse space across the country; Bill and brother Earle teamed up with former St. Petersburg corporate raider Paul Bilzerian in a failed $722-million takeover attempt at Hammermill Paper Co., although the partnership sold its stake and made a $60-million profit; Mack has also been involved with Mario Cuomo; Mack studied finance and real estate at the Wharton School of Business.
Handicapped:
St. Petersburg's baseball stadium offers great views from every seat - if you can walk.
A 1988 lawsuit by resident George Locasio, who uses a wheelchair himself, contends the city discriminated against disabled people in the design of the Florida Suncoast Dome by constructing wheelchair seating on just one level of the stadium.
Besides the question of possible civil rights violations, a crucial issue was whether the city was bound to use federal guidelines to determine the number of disabled positions, which would have required 440 spaces instead of the current 274. U.S. District Judge Elizabeth A. Kovachevich ruled in March that when the city used federal money to buy land for the stadium it obligated itself to follow federal guidelines for construction. Florida state guidelines are less demanding. St. Petersburg claims the cost of following the federal rules would be $3-million.
The case was supposed to go to trial in March but the judge ordered a 60-day postponement to encourage Locasio and the city to negotiate a compromise. Locasio says he does not expect the case to be settled, however.
Locasio is a strong proponent of equal access for the disabled. He has been pressing the issue with the city almost since the day plans to build the stadium were announced, but city officials have ignored him until now. Locasio is represented by George Rahdert and Pat Andersen, who also represent the St. Petersburg Times on first amendment issues.
Gov.'s Baseball Dinner
Opening night at the Dome on March 1 was a black-tie event for 1,700 people: the 43rd Annual Governor's Baseball Dinner.
Held annually in Tampa in the early years and St. Petersburg since 1970, the Governor's Dinner has traditionally honored baseball's brass, owners, front-office staffs, marketers, managers, players and the media for their contributions to the state through spring training.
"It used to be stag, an absolute drunken brawl. But it's toned down lately," says Bill Bunker, executive director of the Pinellas Sports Authority, who was responsible for organizing the dinner during much of the '70s.
Attendees included Phillies President Bill Giles, Cardinals CEO Fred Kuhlmann, and Red Sox CEO Haywood Sullivan. Former players included Stan Musial, Billy Williams, Al Lopez, Johnny Mize, Harmon Killebrew, Brooks Robinson, Steve Carlton, and Tug McGraw.
This year the lock-out cut into the festivities somewhat, but the event dovetailed with the first-ever Major League Alumni Reunion and more than 200 of baseball's all-time all-stars and Hall of Famers participated.
During his welcoming speech, Fl. Gov. Bob Martinez said, "The commitment from the city of St. Petersburg is indicative of what Floridians want."
Legislature
When it looked like the Chicago White Sox might move to St. Petersburg in 1987, the Florida Legislature rallied behind the city with an agreement to fund $30-million in stadium improvements by year's end if a team were to contract for play. (Florida Progress Corp. promised the Chisox a $10-million low-interest loan.)
Rep. Lars Hafner (D.-St. Petersburg) expects the legislature to repeat its offer if baseball comes to Florida in 1990.
"I think it was proven back in 1987 that if the time comes, the legislature is willing to rally around baseball," he says. "We would push for that again. (Tampa Bay has) a strong enough delegation to bring the money and whatever's necessary back to the area."
Hafner doesn't expect the legislature to support a particular team. However ...
"I think at this point in time, our area will be the chosen spot. And once the spot is chosen, we believe (the other competing cities) will rally around them."
What if Miami or Orlando is chosen over St. Pete?
"Would we rally around them? Yes," he answers, "but we assume it's going to be us, not them."
More History
In 1982, the TBBG offered to pay for building the Dome if St. Petersburg spent $30-million to buy the land and it was built in a central location. When a site could not be agreed upon, St. Petersburg leased a 66-acre plot on the outskirts of downtown to the Pinellas Sports Authority. The price: $1 a year for 50 years. It was at this point the TBBG decided any expansion team in the Bay area should be located in Tampa, not downtown St. Petersburg, and a 6-year, brutal war of words was waged.
In 1986, ignoring former Commissioner Peter Ueberroth's immortal telegram advising against stadium construction, the St. Pete City Council voted 6-3 to proceed with an $85-million bond sale. Two more bond issues totaling $27-million have since been required to complete the stadium.
In '87, toxic, cancer-causing chemicals were found in the soil of the stadium site, causing an expensive, time-consuming disposal and replacement process that slowed construction. Critics called it the "ToxicDome."
Morsani and Harrelson are not the only suitors Tampa Bay has seen put together a potential ownership team. Former St. Petersburg Times Publisher John B. Lake organized a rival group - financed by Florida Progress, Sarasota developer Joseph Penner, and Hubbard Broadcasting - that has since disintegrated.
Et cetera:
St. Petersburg's "Join The Team" season ticket drive in October collected 22,000 reservations at $50 each in 30 days - the total is now over 25,000. Similar drives have been run in Washington, D.C. and Orlando.
The Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association relocated from Lakeland to St. Petersburg this past winter, choosing the city over Orlando.
The Cleveland Indians moved two minor-league training programs to St. Petersburg for 1990. The New York Yankees moved their minor-league training programs to Tampa from Ft. Lauderdale last year.
St. Petersburg is home of the fledgling Senior Professional Baseball Association, the one-year-old seniors circuit for older ballplayers. And St. Pete's entry in the league, the Pelicans, won the league's first championship in January.
A group of businessmen has organized the World Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum, Inc. and has Tampa Bay high on its lists of likely sites.
FROM SEPTEMBER 1990:
Re: bonds Revenue bonds were used to pay for both FSD bond issues. The first, for $85 million in 1985, was organized by the Pinellas Sports Authority as an interlocutory agreement between Pinellas County and the City of St. Petersburg.
Pinellas pledged its tourist development tax (then 2%, now 3%) to pay for its share of the stadium bonds; St. Pete pledged its guaranteed entitlement of $3.2 million annually from the state. This figure comes from the amount the city collected in cigarette taxes before the state took over that function. The rest of the city's money comes from a share of the $8-million (more or less, this gets confusing) in state sales tax return to the city.
The county share of the original bond issue is approx 40%; the city's is 60%.
After the stadium was built, the city needed another bond issue to expand the capability of FSD beyond baseball-only. It borrowed $22-million against downtown development revenues created by a tax increment financing district and municipal parking fees.
St. Pete's millage rate is 9, 1 below the state cap of 10. If it weren't for the stadium debt, the city finance director estimates the millage rate might be 1-1.5 lower. But without the stadium, the city would lose out on jobs and other revenue sources, so that's not a perfect prescription, he adds.
In July, St. Pete Mayor David Fischer told me the city was not struggling to make its bond payments on the FSD. And while the city has reorganized staff and eliminated a few upper-level administrative position, no cops or firefighters have been let go.
Finally, the finance director (Richard Ashton 813-893-7110) says the city retains the option of pushing its millage rate up to 10 if necessary to raise cash.
(Originally published in Florida Business Tampa Bay, 1990)
A The first sight of Tampa Bay most business travelers, visitors and new arrivals enjoy is the magnificent Tampa International Airport. It ranked second in the world in a 1987 poll by the International Federation of Airline Passenger Associations. (Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam was first.) What's not to like? The hub-and-spoke design makes for short walks between airline gates and baggage claim. Even the airport food is quite good. Completely remodeled in the late '80s and keeping up with increased demand though perpetual expansion, TIA is a delightful gateway to Tampa Bay.
There is more than one airport in Tampa Bay, however. St. Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport has a thriving charter business after years of serving commercial carriers. Private and executive airplanes also enjoy easy access to Albert Whitted Municipal Airport in St. Petersburg, Clearwater Executive Airpark, Plant City Municipal Airport, Tampa Bay Executive Airport, and Peter O. Knight Airport, Vandenberg Airport and Zephyrhills Municipal Airport.
Advertising products and services is at once easy and complicated across the bay. There are more than 200 media outlets between newspapers, magazines, radio and television. While broadcast's message stretches across the two counties, print offers a more selective sell. The daily newspapers offer neighborhood editions; weekly community papers do the same. And magazines specializing in lifestyles, homes, business, computers, music, disabled workers, parents, women and new age interests offer niche targets.
A rash of acquisitions and mergers in the late 1980s has resulted in most of Tampa Bay's fine homegrown advertising agencies gaining national affiliations. Earle Palmer Brown, Fahlgren & Swink, Bozell, Jacobs, Kenyon & Eckhardt, Young & Rubicam are all represented locally.
Abilities Inc. of Florida is an aggressive, not-for-profit Clearwater-based organization that has been a national model in providing skills training for the emotionally and physically disabled in electronics assembly. Abilities students also learn desktop publishing, computer-aided design (CAD), computer programming, and clerical skills. Clients for graduates include Critikon, E-Systems, GTE, Honeywell, IBM, and AT&T/Paradyne.
Affordable housing makes Tampa Bay attractive for new workers, professionals, and management executives alike.
Audio/video production in the Bay area offers quality commercial, corporate and technical know-how and facilities at a reasonable cost.
B Banking is big business in the Bay area. Two nationally recognized financially institutions - NCNB National Bank and Chase Bank of Florida - run their Florida operations from Tampa headquarters.
In downtown St. Petersburg, a revolution is underway, led by master planner Neil Elsey and his Bay Plaza Companies. A 10-year plan for rejuvenating the city's waterfront business district as an upscale retail center is well under way.
Bridging the bay, hands across the bay ... whatever you call the recent trend towards one-market thinking, its long-range implications for the Tampa Bay area can be nothing but positive for business and our general quality of life.
Beaches. Isn't that the number one reason anyone comes to Florida? Whether we actively use them for relaxation or entertainment, it's always comforting to know they're there when we need them, hot, sandy and near the cool blue waters of the Gulf of Mexico. They also contribute mightily to the local economy as millions of tourists flock here from points throughout the United States, Canada and, more recently, Europe.
There's a general list of fine restaurants under "R" but Bern's Steak House in Tampa merits individual attention. Its world-renown wine cellar and fabulous steaks make it a "must-eat" destination of most business travelers and well-to-do tourists. And it's even more deliciously wacky-tacky in its red velvet walls and sculpture than the Kapok Tree in Clearwater.
Baseball, baseball, baseball. Unless the area is wiped out by a tsunami, Tampa Bay will be the site of Major League Baseball's next expansion franchise.
Business news is easy to come by. Tampa Bay has four major monthly magazines: Florida Business, Florida Trend, The Maddux Report, and Urban Business; a quarterly, Excel; four tabloid weeklies: the Tampa Bay Business Journal, the Pinellas Review, and Monday supplements to the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune; weekday Wall Street reports on WSUN and WFLA radio; and the "Suncoast Business Journal" on WEDU-TV.
As for business schools, the University of South Florida College of Business Administration is accredited by the American Assembly of Collegiate Schools of Business. The school offers both MBA and Ph.D. programs and is headquarters for the Center for International Business, the International Language Institute, the Center for Free Enterprise and Economic Education, Small Business Development Center. The University of Tampa, which also has a distinguished business program including MBA studies, is home to the Center for Ethics.
C The Center for Training and Business Development in Tampa was originally formed to assist in the relocation of Citicorp Travelers Checks from New York to Tampa and in massive training of new employees. Funded by a public/private partnership, the Center has gone on to provide training for new hires at Chase Manhattan, Time Inc. and Leslie Controls, among others.
Tampa Bay encourages corporate relocation but only clean industry need apply. Leave the smokestacks at home.
Concurrency and its seven circles of infrastructure requirements - roads, water, sewer, drainage, mass transit, recreation and solid waste treatment - which must overlap and encircle any future proposed development area, may or may not belong on this list. Check back in 10 years.
A slump in the construction industry has caused a number of out-of-town builders to flee and even one or two local firms to call it quits. That's not a plus for construction, but anyone needing to build should be able to find favorable terms.
Corporate headquarters in the Bay area include: Jack Eckerd Corp., Milton Roy, Home Shopping Network, Florida Progress, Homestyle Family Buffet, Kash n' Karry, Tech Data, GTE, Raymond James and Associates, Spalding & Evenflo, Hillsborough Holdings, Jim Walter Corp., Times Publishing Co., Trader Publications, Lykes Bros., Florida Steel, Tampa Electric Co., Maas Brothers.
Corporate sponsorship opportunities abound, from sporting events such as the annual collegiate Hall of Fame Bowl football game and St. Petersburg Grand Prix to Shakespeare in the Park and Clearwater Jazz Holiday.
D Competition between discount office supply warehouses like St. Petersburg-based Workplace and Miami-based Office Depot has enabled even small businesses to buy Fax machines, PC clones and other technology and paper goods at rock-bottom prices.
Centrally located on Florida's west coast, Tampa Bay is ideal as a distribution point for the entire state. Oil products intended for all of mid-Florida enter the state through Port of Tampa and Port Manatee.
Driving across Tampa Bay to get to work in the morning is a small pleasure - the water beginning to glisten as the sun rises. But driving across the water to get home at sunset is even better, thanks to the celestial explosion of colors as the sun sinks to the horizon. Traffic be damned - there's no better place to get stuck.
E Economic development organizations such as the Tampa Committee of One Hundred, Pinellas Economic Development Council, Tampa Bay Partnership, Pinellas County Industry Council play a major role in stimulating growth, attracting new companies and creating opportunities.
Tampa Bay's effective buying income of $33,436,603,000 in 1988 ranked the region 24th nationally.
Enterprise Village is a novel experiment developed by Pinellas business leaders in conjunction with the county school board to give elementary school students a real taste of America's free enterprise system. The kids spend six weeks in the classroom learning about buying, selling, check writing and balancing, wholesale and retail, payrolls and other facets of daily business. Then they put it all into practice at Enterprise Village in Largo, where local businesses such as WRBQ Radio, Florida Power, McDonalds and Eckerd Drugs have established miniature replicas of their operations.
Ethnic diversity is strong throughout the area, from the Greek community in Tarpon Springs and African-Americans in St. Petersburg's Southside and Tampa's College Hill to the Latin, Spanish and Italian influences upon Ybor City.
F It's a great place to raise a family. Maybe even a dynasty.
Foreign trade includes sending frozen chickens and butter to the Soviet Union, citrus to Japan, building materials to the Caribbean. Pinellas County has permanent trade missions to Amsterdam, London and Germany. Trade is also encouraged and supported by the Tampa Bay International Trade Council, Super Task Force for Internationalizing the Tampa Bay Area and Pinellas County Industry Council.
Nearly 200 of the Fortune 500 companies have affiliations in the Bay area. Three of these are companies with corporate headquarters here.
The opening of the Florida Suncoast Dome (see 'B: Baseball, baseball, baseball') should continue to revolutionize the way the world sees St. Petersburg. And it will create new opportunities downtown.
G Growth management. It stings today, but in the long run, we'll be glad we did it.
Rand McNally's Vacation Places Rated ranks the bay area fourth nationally for golf.
H Health care and its ancillary industries employ tens of thousands locally and pump millions into the economy.
Higher education institutions include the University of South Florida, University of Tampa, Eckerd College, Tampa College, Hillsborough Community College, Florida College, Clearwater Christian College, and St. Petersburg Junior College.
Believe it or not, we're putting the Home Shopping Network on the list. It's weird, it's tacky, it's the cubic zirconia of broadcasting, but HSN and top gun Roy Speer have put the "Clearwater, Florida" dateline on news and feature stories around the globe, from the Wal Street Journal to TV Guide. And, more importantly, the cable channel brought Farrah Fawcett to Pinellas County. That's worth something.
Another Clearwater innovation, Hooters, might debate that it is infinitely weird and tackier than Home Shopping Network. Whatever. The wing, breast and surf music restaurants are the antithesis of formal dining for business lunches; that's why so many suit-and-tie types take out-of-town guests here.
I There is no state income tax in Florida. Many would argue its needed to pay for infrastructure, schools and other necessities, but so far, no tax.
Which leads to impact fees for new development. They are rising, rising, rising ... but so is the population and the traffic caused by growth.
Industrial revenue bonds have been a major contributor to the attraction of new business to Pinellas County and the expansion of existing business. Originally set to sunset in October, the bond program is expected to receive a reprieve and be extended for two more years.
Average per capita personal income in Hillsborough County is $14,821; in Pinellas County, it's $19,091.
Growth in international air travel has led to expanded direct and non-stop flights from Tampa to Amsterdam, London, Frankfurt, Mexico, Bahamas and Canada.
The interstate highway system throughout Tampa Bay is one of the few joys a commuter can find. I-75 connects Tampa with Miami to the south and leads all the way north to Canada. Along the way, it intersects I-10, America's favorite east/west freeway, linking Los Angeles to Jacksonville. And, finally, there's I-4. It starts in Tampa, cuts across Orlando and runs into I-95 on Florida's east coast. I-95 connects Miami to Maine.
L An ever-growing, abundant and affordable labor force of 1.4-million prevails in Tampa Bay, presenting skilled and unskilled, union and non-union workers. The number of engineers, for example, is projected to increase 79 percent from 8,402 in 1986 to 15,012 by the year 2000.
Luxury homes can be found in patches throughout the Bay area, from the waterfront to the edge of wilderness preserves, with prices running from a few hundred thou to multi-millions. Belleair, Snell Isle, Terra Ceia, Davis Islands, Hyde Park, and Tampa Palms are but a few of the places to invest a mint in shelter.
M MacDill Air Force Base means $1.6-billion to the local economy and is responsible for more than 10,000 jobs.
Magnet schools in Pinellas County - specializing in the performing arts, mathematics and science, liberal arts, and an early graduation program.
Bob Martinez, governor of the State of Florida, hails from Tampa and ... waitaminnit ... Sorry, wrong list.
Author John Naisbitt recommended Tampa as one of the 10 great cities of opportunity in his book, Megatrends.
Minority media outlets are varied and strong here. The African-American community supports two radio stations, two newspapers and a monthly business magazine. Latins have two newspapers, one television and two radio stations. There is also a Greek newspaper and radio station.
Participating in one of the Bay area's museums is both good for the soul and the pocketbook. Volunteers and contributors gain both good will and valuable contacts from being involved with the Tampa Museum of Art, Salvador Dali Museum, Great Explorations-The Hands-On Museum, Children's Museum of Tampa, Henry B. Plant Museum, Ybor City State Museum, St. Petersburg Historical Museum, Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Science and Industry.
N Miami, Orlando and Tallahassee only have one good newspaper a piece. Tampa Bay has two, the St. Petersburg Times and Tampa Tribune.
O The one-penny optional sales tax approved by Pinellas County voters in 1989 should make driving there a little easier in the future.
Thanks to a building glut and more downtown towers coming on line in both Tampa and St. Petersburg, there is an office glut that has created a buyer's market.
What would Orlando be doing on this list? Well, when Tampa and St. Petersburg set aside their differences to work towards common goals, it was helpful to have someone to turn our collective antipathy towards. And we like having the Orlando attractions just 90 minutes away so when we do need a mouseketeer injection, we need not stay overnight.
P Not everyone lives a typical life. At Paradise Lakes Resort, normal means nude. The 40-acre alternative lifestyle community in Land 'o Lakes is more than just a topless beach; it's a thriving real estate business offering 340 single family homes, mobile homes, town homes, condominiums and an RV park. Non-resident couples are invited to visit.
How about plenty of pawn shops and package stores for that business downturn that always lurks around the corner.
A wealth of over-planning has gifted Tampa Bay with three of the south's greatest performing arts centers, Ruth Eckerd Hall, the Mahaffey Theater, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
Planned communities are all the rage. Tampa Palms may be the best-known, but Hunter's Green, Avila, Cheval, The Villages at Cypress Creek, Walden Lake, and Andalucia are growing in popularity.
Port of Tampa and Port Manatee are out of each other's league in terms of size - Manatee does just a fraction of Tampa's shipping tonnage - but the two are fiercely competitive and the business community benefits.
While the St. Petersburg Times and billionaire industrialist Bob Bass scrap for control of the newspaper publishing company, the non-profit Poynter Institute for Media Studies continues to be a beacon of integrity in the journalism world. Poynter - named for the Times' late editor - draws reporters and editors from around the world to take part in studies of the whys, wherefores and howtos of modern media.
Both Hillsborough and Pinellas counties are sprinting toward individual population counts anticipated to exceed 1-million by the end of this decade. But the Tampa Bay metropolitan statistical area, which includes Pasco and Hernando, already put us over 2-million. Tampa Bay is second only to Atlanta in population, households and effective buying income.
One of the great conveniences of living in Tampa Bay is the 24-hour Post Office at Tampa International Airport.
Some publishers do, admittedly, send their work out of town, but virtually any printing need imaginable can be handled locally, from web offset presses to glossy four-color jobs.
Private clubs aren't for everybody - heck, they aren't even just for men anymore. But membership in the Tampa Club, University Club, Presidents Club, Cherokee Club and Centre Club is still pretty exclusive.
Public relations specialists abound. John Heagney, for example, is Mr. Real Estate. And Sherry Wheatley Sacino has made a name for herself working with companies dealing in the Soviet Union, Caribbean and Third World countries. Hill & Knowlton
R Freight and passenger rail service - including CSX and Amtrak - are still available in the Tampa Bay area.
Florida passed the "Solid Waste Management Act" in 1988 and it is finally spurring Tampa Bay's municipalities to push active recycling. The counties must achieve 30 percent recycling of all solid waste by 1994. Several businesses are springing up to capitalize on the requirements of the new law.
Just when you think you've got trouble, Joe Redner gets arrested again for trying to keep his businesses open. Redner is king of adult entertainment in Tampa Bay, the kind of guy you love to hate. He's colorful, articulate and probably making bond even as you read this.
Economic development agencies got a boost in their efforts to relocate businesses to Tampa Bay in 1989. Pollster Louis Harris surveyed chief executives of the nation's largest companies for Cushman & Wakefield and asks them to grade 31 cities in categories such as labor, access to markets, quality of life and attitudes of government. Tampa ranked fifth in the survey.
Research is crucial to large and small industry. Tampa Bay is home to accomplished and respected facilities at the University of South Florida, Showa University Research Institute (cancer research), Commerce Clearinghouse (law), and Poynter Institute (media).
This is America's 20th largest radio market. Approximately three dozen AM & FM stations are licensed to the Tampa Bay area.
U.S. News & World Report ranks Tampa as the 16th hottest real estate market in the United States. West Palm Beach ranked first; Ft. Lauderdale was 24th.
Restaurants: Armani's, Eugen's, Lobster Pot, Donatello, Il Nido, Mise en Place, Oystercatchers, Black Swan, Bentley's, r.g.'s, Wine Cellar, Le Bordeaux, Le Pompano, Bella Trattoria, Basta's, Dolce Vita, Lauro Ristorante ....
The Rutenbergs, Arthur and Charles, have been among the most consistent, respectable and successful developers in the Bay area. Arthur, whose trademark single family residences are renown across America, and Charles, who developed Countryside Mall, continue to call Clearwater their home.
S Hillsborough and Pinellas have tens of millions of square feet in industrial, office and commercial sites ready and approved for development.
Some skeptics might say there's only one game in town, but sports represent a major part in the way Tampa Bay works and plays. Buying season tickets to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is virtually de rigeur for prominent businesses. Motorcar racing has taken off locally with two annual events, the World Challenge of Tampa and St. Petersburg Grand Prix. Four major league baseball teams come each year for spring training; those four and two more have minor league operations in Hillsborough and Pinellas. The University of Tampa and University of South Florida have consistently ranked in national collegiate baseball polls and USF's basketball team qualified for the NCAA tournament in 1990 for the first time. Besides providing thrills, local sports provide a tremendous number of spinoff business opportunities from concessions and uniforms to transportation and lodging. They also send Tampa Bay datelines around the world via TV, radio, newspapers and magazines.
Speaking of sports, the biggest name in the world of Tampa Bay athletics has to be shipping magnate and New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Not many people in these parts can make both the sports and business news on the same day. This Tampa resident also been generous to local charities and community organizations with his time and money.
When the question of recession comes up, Tampa Bay economists and bankers frequently point to the region's senior citizens as one cushion against a local downturn. The line of thought is that between Social Security checks, pensions, military benefits and investment income, the area's older resident will always bring a guaranteed volume of dollars that other communities can't count on.
St. Petersburg-based Stetson University College of Law - Florida's oldest law school - has become a significant legal resource for Tampa Bay and the entire west coast of Florida.
The home team may not play in it, but Tampa Stadium will still put on its best face to host its second NFL championship game, Super Bowl XXV, in January 1991.
T A coalition to watch is the Tampa Bay Partnership. An informal amalgamation of economic development groups from Pasco, Pinellas and Hillsborough, TBP is marketing a Bay area without county boundaries to the outside world.
The Tampa Convention Center - which still needs a more distinguished name - should finally be on-line this fall. Located on the city's downtown waterfront opposite Harbour Island, this spectacular, world-class building offers 200,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 36,000-square foot ballroom. Anyone with deep pockets looking for business opportunities should examine the convention center: when it opens, downtown Tampa will face a dire shortage of business-class hotel rooms.
A Moran, Stahl & Boyer study reported that the tax situation in Tampa Bay - moderate corporate income tax, no inventory tax, no personal income tax, no sales tax on business services and low personal property taxes - mirrors the advantages other areas of Florida have over neighboring states.
A number of economic reports have proclaimed this to be "Technology Bay" in deference to the fast-growing high technology, communications and advanced medical industries that have developed and relocated here.
This is America's 13th largest television market. Viewers are served by four network affiliates, two public broadcasting stations, two independents and a cornucopia of cable companies.
Rand McNally's Vacation Places Rated ranks the bay area third nationally for tennis. Teen sensation Jennifer Capriati trains at the Saddlebrook Resort.
The 41 miles that stretch north and south through Tampa have taken on an identity as the Tampa Parkway. It has become home to thousands upon thousands of square feet of office, commercial and industrial space, plus high-quality residential developments.
U Even without a football team, the University of South Florida has topped Florida State as the Sunshine State's second largest school. It is based in Tampa, but the St. Petersburg Bayboro campus continues to increase enrollment and facilities. USF also has branches in Pasco, Polk and Ft. Myers.
Upscale retail stores are not yet abundant here but are growing in number. Old Hyde Park Village has the best collection, including Ralph Lauren, Brooks Brothers, Ann Taylor, Williams-Sonoma, Crabtree & Evelyn, Jacobson's, and The Sharper Image. Downtown St. Petersburg's redevelopment plan centers upon attracting more of the same, including a major anchor or two that would be unique to the area, perhaps Macy's, Bloomingdale's or Parisian.
V Anyone with an office in a downtown Tampa, St. Petersburg or Clearwater tower would be hard-pressed to disagree that the Bay area's office buildings offer some of the best views of land and sea available anywhere.
Vocational and technical schools have grown exponentially on both sides of the bay in answer to the needs of new and existing industry. These county-operated programs can train high school students or adults in dozens or regularly scheduled programs or can accommodate special needs.
W Weather? The weather is great. Only California would be better and you can't breathe or see the weather there.
Y Youth is on the march. Once a victim of its demographic perception, Tampa Bay has 685,046 men and women between the ages of 15 and 44. By contrast, there are only 315,911 people age 65 and over.
Ybor City is the perpetual city of hope. A new redevelopment agency and a wave of ambitious young entrepreneurs, restaurateurs, and artists have taken root and are beginning to attract a crowd.
Z And finally, Tampa has two zoos, one world class (Busch Gardens), one on its way (Lowry Park). In the works: the Florida Aquarium, largest marine aquarium in the United States, perhaps by 1993.
Bob Andelman is the host and producer of the “Mr. Media Interviews” podcast. He is also the author or co-author of 9 books including: Will Eisner: A Spirited Life; Built From Scratch; Mean Business; The Profit Zone; The Corporate Athlete, Stadium For Rent and several others. Complete biography & book reviews here. Looking to hire a collaborator or writer for a book? Contact my agent, Michael Bourret. Magazine editors can contact me directly.
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