Column

A pitch for a park in today's economy?

By SUE CARLTON
Published October 3, 2007

Today the Hillsborough County Commission's No. 1 sports fan is expected to pitch his $40-million sports park, possibly with a straight face.

By now you've probably heard about Commissioner Jim Norman's big dream and its accompanying big price tag.

Even if you don't buy the arguments against Championship Park - worries about sprawl, doubts about its ability to pay for itself - you have to admit this much: Asking folks to swallow that many zeros in these times seems a little like bugging your parents for a Lexus when the bank is threatening to foreclose on the family home.

Norman insists this makes sense for the future, as a way to fund parks and recreation with the above-and-beyond money Championship Park could make.

He'll make that argument today. "It is what it is," he says.

He's taken his hits for what it is. Perhaps the most, um, descriptive, was the cover of the alternative weekly Creative Loafing, featuring a cartoon version of the commissioner wearing a jockstrap over his clothes.

For the record, Norman says he wears neither glasses nor suspenders, as pictured.

* * *

When some of the big dogs of the religious right gathered for their Family Impact Summit in Brandon last month, one speaker in particular caught my eye.

Amid sessions on "Christian Citizenship," "Community Decency" and the "Homosexual Agenda" was Hillsborough Supervisor of Elections Buddy Johnson.

Johnson - himself a member of the First Baptist Church of Plant City - was there to teach anyone interested how to go about voter registration drives.

Naturally my inner conspiracy theorist wondered if this wasn't an effort to get a particular kind of voter registered.

Turns out elections supervisors routinely hold get-out-the-vote-efforts at churches.

I asked Johnson if there was anything preferential about his appearances. No, he said.

"Anybody that asks me to speak, I go," he said.

While it's true his calendar over the past six months included appearances at civic groups, high schools and the like, I didn't see much church action in there. So keep him in mind for your next event at your local synagogue, ashram or church.

* * *

How did that homophobic scrawl across a St. Petersburg antique store affect plans for an erotic art show opening there?

"Going great," said Bill Schramm, owner of Antiques 2061 on Central Avenue.

Not so great last week.

Schramm showed up to find "No f-- porn" spray-painted on the storefront where he had displayed some of the tamer art in the collection. ("Butts," he explained.)

That review didn't stop more than 300 people from showing up Friday night for the opening of the permanent collection, though. Sales and after-sales were moving right along, he said.

"I've actually had people come by and tell me point blank, 'Look, we don't like your art, but we don't think that should have happened to your window,' " he said.

* * *

A word to all my wear-it-on-your-sleeves, I-bleed-orange-and-blue, diehard Gator friends (and yes, I know "diehard" is redundant):

From a USF alum: So this is how it feels.

[Last modified October 2, 2007, 23:59:07]