Tourist board misses chance to vote, again
Members like the mini-baseball stadium idea, but lack a quorum for a second week.
By DAVID DECAMP, Times Staff Writer
Published October 23, 2007
NEW PORT RICHEY - If you build it, they will come.
That omniscient advice persuaded a fictional Iowa farmer to build a baseball diamond in his cornfields in the movie Field of Dreams.
It has not been enough for the Pasco County Tourist Development Council. The board did not keep enough members together Monday evening to vote on whether to pursue a complex of scaled-down replicas of America's most hallowed baseball stadiums.
The same thing happened last Monday, too.
"It seems like Groundhog Day, Part II," said County Commissioner Michael Cox, the project's proponent.
Cox wants the county to seek proposals from companies about how to build the multipurpose complex. It could cost $20-million, but pairing with a private company could relieve the county of maintenance costs. It might go up in Trinity. A company, Big League Dreams of California, has shown interest.
Tourist board members expressed optimism about it. But they cannot make it count with votes because fewer than five of the eight members have been around to do it. Florida law requires a quorum.
On Monday at the West Pasco Government Center, they began with a quorum, but only by one person. Members Dick Boehning, Scott Black and Dan Condella had other commitments, county officials said. Of the three, only Boehning attended last week's meeting.
But after five to 10 minutes, member Ginny Miller left without taking her pen and papers. She never returned. Attempts to find her were for naught.
She was called. She said she felt faint and went home, Keaton said. Staffers consulted each other. What next? They consulted Roberts Rules of Order.
There were no options.
County Commissioner Jack Mariano, the board chairman, said he will try a different route. He will raise the issue directly to the commission, which is the ultimate authority anyway.
And the tourist board?
"I was thinking about cloning," Keaton quipped.
David DeCamp can be reached at ddecamp@sptimes or 800 333-7505, ext. 6232.