Aside from buying the odd ticket here and there, should the politicians of Florida be spending money on the professional sports teams of the state?
It’s a decent question at a time the Tampa Bay Bucs, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars are among the teams with their hands out.
The Bucs filed their application for money – as much as $1 million a year – on Monday. The Bucs, at an impasse with their negotiations with the Tampa Sports Authority to make improvements to Raymond James Stadium, are instead looking at the state for money.
The Daytona Speedway is also asking for money.
It’s a tricky question at a costly time for the state. Should it be involved with giving money to existing teams that make a profit? Or could Florida’s other needs, such as road, education and infrastructure, make better use of the funding?
The applications will be ranked and evaluated by the Department of Economic Opportunity. Earlier this year, there were four such proposals, and the state said no to each. That could happen again. It is getting more and more difficult to defend giving teams large amounts of money.