Hopefully, this isn’t déjà vu all over again.
Officially, Tampa — along with 30 other cities — is in the hunt once more for the GOP national convention. Prime players, such as Al Austin and Dick Beard, chair and co-chair, respectively, of the bid committee and Tampa Bay Convention and Visitors’ Bureau President Paul Catoe, are back with a pitch for the 2008 gathering. As are key cohorts in Pinellas County.
Recall that Tampa was one of three finalists (along with New York and New Orleans) for the 2004 convention before losing out to NYC. Since its previous bid (in 2002), Tampa has added another 5,000 hotel rooms and more are in the offing — plus condo rentals downtown. The economic impact of the ’08 convention is estimated in the neighborhood of $300 million.
“We lost out by a flip of the coin (to New York),” recalled Austin at the formal announcement of the bid plans.
Actually, Austin, the good Republican soldier who heads the GOP finance committee in Florida, was being diplomatic. He got little help from Gov. Jeb Bush last time, and Karl Rove got his way with Ground Zero symbolism.
This time 9/11 won’t be a driving factor – and more weight can be given to Florida’s pivotal election role and the Tampa Bay amenity package. This time Miami and Orlando figure to be the toughest competition for the late August gathering.
Which, of course, is hurricane season.
It’s never easy.