It All Comes Down to This…
Today is the day. After 2 years of discussion, debate, and feasibility studies, Orange County will finally make their decision. Are our elected officials going to step up and approve these venues or are they going to vote them down?
Regardless of what happens today, these venues will eventually be built or refurbished (in the case of the Citrus Bowl). It’s inevitable, this city/county will not go another 20 years with a substandard venues while cities like Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa keep upping the ante. No major city with the make up of Orlando, is without up to date facilities for their residents.
Louisville? Just approved a brand new $400 Million dollar arena.
Las Vegas? A $9 Billion dollar redevelopment plan including a new arena and possible performing arts center
Cities like Nashville, Charlotte, Memphis and similar cities have all updated their performing arts centers and sports venues in the last 10 years.
The thing we have to look at is do we want to do it now, while we still have long term occupants? If the Magic leave, there will be no new basketball team in 10 years when a new arena is eventually built. If a new performing arts center isn’t built, several, such as the ballet, philharmonic, opera, and other local productions that have to share the current venue will never reach their full potential. If the Citrus Bowl is denied renovations, there will be no high level SEC #2 v. Big 10 #2 type game that will just take the place of the Capitol One Bowl.
These venues are expensive and they do have some risk involved. But every project has some risk involved. However, the risk that opponents point to is not on the level they’d want you to believe.
The final breakdown of the major funds:
TDT – 540 Million
It has been rehashed more times than none that this tax cannot be spent on roads, education, and schools. In many of the emails I have received over the last two years the majority ask me, “then why don’t we change it?” Lately, Harris Rosen has come out and voiced his opinion that he’d like to see it changed in favor of spending on police protection in the tourist corridor. Simply put: It won’t happen. The hoteliers and tourism officials who pushed for the tax many years ago don’t want it to change. For Mr. Rosen, it is the only way he knows he can defeat these projects. He knows that it will be very hard to change the TDT, look at the vote of the tourist development counsel yesterday (7 to 1, Rosen being the only no); look at Disney and Universal’s response to these projects. It’s just not a law they’re not willing to change because they will lose the money that they don’t have to front to promote the area. However, Mr. Rosen knows that if he came out and stated his original argument that this money needs to be spent on advertising, he won’t garner much support either. Why? Because it was his argument up until about 3 weeks ago. He said it at the Commissioner’s meetings, he’s said it to the Tourist Development counsel, and has said it to the media. However, people weren’t running towards his corner.
Downtown CRA - $160M -
http://www.cityoforlando.net/planning/Transportation/images/Exhibit%20A.jpg
Many are not familiar with the Downtown CRA and what it entails. Basically it is a special taxing district approved for a downtown footprint. From the City of Orlando website explanation the CRA was created “to provide a method for redeveloping Downtown Orlando through the use of a funding source separate from the City of Orlando. This funding source is referred to as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which is an effective tool to underwrite the cost of projects and programs to bring about community revitalization. TIF is used by the City to capture future increases in property tax revenue in turn making these dollars available as a development investment or incentive. The real estate taxes from new development can then be used to pay off the debt incurred while stimulating that development. Through this economic development investment, Orlando can best foster business development and job creation.”
Some of the projects that this fund has underwritten? The Lynx Lymmo transportation, parking garages, several private ventures (condos and the such) and landscaping. If not used, it in all likelihood will not go to schools, will not go to roads outside of the downtown footprint, and has only been spent on limited types of police and fire services.
Overruns – What if the arena costs us more than what stated?
The Magic have agreed to pay the overruns on the actual building. Something that hasn’t been stressed because of the negative connotation the idea of overruns has on these projects.
My Final Remarks:
The original idea for this site came when I received word that the county was considering the increase of the Tourist Development Tax in 2005. Since then I have had several lively email debates, which still continue at this moment, and several good points have been made by the opposition to these venues. With a debate like this you are never going to have one side that is completely right and another side that is completely wrong. However as Americans it is our right to have political beliefs and voice them. I encourage anyone who can make it out today whether you support these venues or not, because this is your chance to be heard.
201 S. Rosalind at 2pm. I have been told that they are expecting to go very late tonight to allow as many people as possible to be heard. 201 S. Rosalind at 2pm, it should last a few hours.
If you cannot attend it will be on Orange TV on Brighthouse channel 9 or on the net: http://www.orangecountyfl.net or www.OrlandoSentinel.com
I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me the last two years, those who have debated with me about these issues, and everyone who has read the site.
As always feel free to email me at Orlando_Arena...[AT]...Hotmail...[DOT]...Com
Today is the day. After 2 years of discussion, debate, and feasibility studies, Orange County will finally make their decision. Are our elected officials going to step up and approve these venues or are they going to vote them down?
Regardless of what happens today, these venues will eventually be built or refurbished (in the case of the Citrus Bowl). It’s inevitable, this city/county will not go another 20 years with a substandard venues while cities like Jacksonville, Miami, and Tampa keep upping the ante. No major city with the make up of Orlando, is without up to date facilities for their residents.
Louisville? Just approved a brand new $400 Million dollar arena.
Las Vegas? A $9 Billion dollar redevelopment plan including a new arena and possible performing arts center
Cities like Nashville, Charlotte, Memphis and similar cities have all updated their performing arts centers and sports venues in the last 10 years.
The thing we have to look at is do we want to do it now, while we still have long term occupants? If the Magic leave, there will be no new basketball team in 10 years when a new arena is eventually built. If a new performing arts center isn’t built, several, such as the ballet, philharmonic, opera, and other local productions that have to share the current venue will never reach their full potential. If the Citrus Bowl is denied renovations, there will be no high level SEC #2 v. Big 10 #2 type game that will just take the place of the Capitol One Bowl.
These venues are expensive and they do have some risk involved. But every project has some risk involved. However, the risk that opponents point to is not on the level they’d want you to believe.
The final breakdown of the major funds:
TDT – 540 Million
It has been rehashed more times than none that this tax cannot be spent on roads, education, and schools. In many of the emails I have received over the last two years the majority ask me, “then why don’t we change it?” Lately, Harris Rosen has come out and voiced his opinion that he’d like to see it changed in favor of spending on police protection in the tourist corridor. Simply put: It won’t happen. The hoteliers and tourism officials who pushed for the tax many years ago don’t want it to change. For Mr. Rosen, it is the only way he knows he can defeat these projects. He knows that it will be very hard to change the TDT, look at the vote of the tourist development counsel yesterday (7 to 1, Rosen being the only no); look at Disney and Universal’s response to these projects. It’s just not a law they’re not willing to change because they will lose the money that they don’t have to front to promote the area. However, Mr. Rosen knows that if he came out and stated his original argument that this money needs to be spent on advertising, he won’t garner much support either. Why? Because it was his argument up until about 3 weeks ago. He said it at the Commissioner’s meetings, he’s said it to the Tourist Development counsel, and has said it to the media. However, people weren’t running towards his corner.
Downtown CRA - $160M -
http://www.cityoforlando.net/planning/Transportation/images/Exhibit%20A.jpg
Many are not familiar with the Downtown CRA and what it entails. Basically it is a special taxing district approved for a downtown footprint. From the City of Orlando website explanation the CRA was created “to provide a method for redeveloping Downtown Orlando through the use of a funding source separate from the City of Orlando. This funding source is referred to as Tax Increment Financing (TIF), which is an effective tool to underwrite the cost of projects and programs to bring about community revitalization. TIF is used by the City to capture future increases in property tax revenue in turn making these dollars available as a development investment or incentive. The real estate taxes from new development can then be used to pay off the debt incurred while stimulating that development. Through this economic development investment, Orlando can best foster business development and job creation.”
Some of the projects that this fund has underwritten? The Lynx Lymmo transportation, parking garages, several private ventures (condos and the such) and landscaping. If not used, it in all likelihood will not go to schools, will not go to roads outside of the downtown footprint, and has only been spent on limited types of police and fire services.
Overruns – What if the arena costs us more than what stated?
The Magic have agreed to pay the overruns on the actual building. Something that hasn’t been stressed because of the negative connotation the idea of overruns has on these projects.
My Final Remarks:
The original idea for this site came when I received word that the county was considering the increase of the Tourist Development Tax in 2005. Since then I have had several lively email debates, which still continue at this moment, and several good points have been made by the opposition to these venues. With a debate like this you are never going to have one side that is completely right and another side that is completely wrong. However as Americans it is our right to have political beliefs and voice them. I encourage anyone who can make it out today whether you support these venues or not, because this is your chance to be heard.
201 S. Rosalind at 2pm. I have been told that they are expecting to go very late tonight to allow as many people as possible to be heard. 201 S. Rosalind at 2pm, it should last a few hours.
If you cannot attend it will be on Orange TV on Brighthouse channel 9 or on the net: http://www.orangecountyfl.net or www.OrlandoSentinel.com
I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me the last two years, those who have debated with me about these issues, and everyone who has read the site.
As always feel free to email me at Orlando_Arena...[AT]...Hotmail...[DOT]...Com
posted by Trey (formerly TF) at 9:11 AM
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