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Commission heal thyself? Uh, no.

State law prohibits gifts valued at over $100 from a lobbyist to an elected official. Thankfully for Hillsborough County Commission members, not everybody who appears before them and, uh, lobbies, is legally a “lobbyist.”

Since the people lobbying the commission are not lobbyists, it follows that commissioners are not beholden to the state law, which means that commissioners can keep enjoying swank soirees in the rarefied confines of the Luxury Skybox maintained by the Tampa Sports Authority.

Following this logical argument further, we quickly realize that “a rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” which naturally leads us to the conclusion that commissioners are special people who should not have to abide by the same rules as other county employees.

Confused? Well, shut up and smell the roses and read on.

Hillsborough commissioners will keep their free luxury box tickets to Tampa Bay Buccaneers games.

A proposal by Commissioner Kathy Castor that would have prohibited board members from taking such pricey freebies died Thursday for lack of interest.

Castor wanted to prohibit commissioners from accepting gifts valued at more than $100 from citizens or groups with business before the county.

Other board members said they regard them as no different than campaign contributions, which are limited to $500 per person or business. And they said the average person doesn't make any distinction either.

"Shakespeare once said that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," said Commissioner Ronda Storms, who emphasized that she doesn't accept free Bucs tickets anyway.

"I think we need to be intellectually honest here. One hundred dollars is a hundred dollars, whether it's a gift or a campaign contribution," she said.

Newly elected Commissioner Mark Sharpe said he has been invited sometimes to more than a dozen events in a day, some of which involve complimentary tickets. He wouldn't be able to afford to attend some of them if he had to pay for everything, even though they provide a valuable opportunity to interact with constituents.

"I can't quote Shakespeare, but I can quote my wife," Sharpe said. "And my wife is very clear about our budget."

Castor's proposal comes after the St. Petersburg Times ran a series of stories detailing how Tampa Sports Authority members dole out free luxury box tickets for Bucs games at Raymond James Stadium to themselves and other public officials.

The tickets are valued at $457 each. In the past two years Commissioner Ken Hagan has gotten 11 tickets, worth roughly $4,385. Commissioner Tom Scott has accepted four tickets. Commission Chairman Jim Norman, who sits on the Sports Authority, has taken free tickets to more than 80 games since 1994.

Norman spoke very little during the discussion, other than to admonish Castor once again for initially floating the proposal at a meeting two weeks ago without notice. Board protocol requires commissioners to place items on their agenda in advance.

Hagan said no other counties he polled have adopted gift rules as strict as what Castor was proposing, and said state ethics rules already require disclosure of gifts. Those rules prohibit elected officials from accepting gifts valued more than $100, but only if they come from lobbyists.

The Tampa Sports Authority is not technically considered a lobbyist, though its members and staff often appear before commissioners on issues that require a vote. In fact, the county has voted in the past 13 months to take over ownership of Raymond James Stadium and the St. Pete Times Forum from the Sports Authority to get rid of the property tax bills on both.

Castor noted that commissioners have adopted a policy that prohibits county employees from accepting gifts worth more than $100. Her proposal died when no other commissioner offered a second, which was needed to bring it to a vote.

"I don't know why it's okay for employees to live by these rules and not commissioners," Castor said afterward. "I think the board missed an opportunity to adopt a new ethics policy that's broader than the state statute, which is very weak."

During the discussion, the board's other new commissioner, Brian Blair, actually thanked Castor for turning down free tickets to the Outback Bowl college football game at Raymond James. He said it allowed him to claim two additional tickets so that he could bring his two sons to the game.

Poor Mark Sharpe. Unlike most people, his entertainment budget is actually constrained by his income. He can’t afford to do everything that he wants to do. Dammit - that’s just not fair!

The Tribune has more.

Accepting freebies is OK, Hillsborough County commissioners concluded. That's just a perk of elected office.

Tickets to sports games? Sure. Dinner at pricey charitable fundraising events? No problem.

They are following state law, and the county need not develop a stricter policy, commissioners decided Thursday.

Commissioner Kathy Castor proposed a policy that would prohibit commissioners from accepting gifts or other items valued at $100 or more. A similar policy exists for county employees but does not govern commissioners.
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Her effort to rein in gift acceptance comes after published reports detailing instances of Tampa Sports Authority members eating, drinking and watching Tampa Bay Buccaneers football games at Raymond James Stadium for free. That practice bothered Castor, especially in light of the commissioners' decision last month to take over the St. Pete Times Forum in a property-tax exemption deal benefiting (sic) the Lightning hockey team.

Commission Chairman Jim Norman sits on the sports authority board and said he has accepted free tickets to football games. He said the state law is adequate. ``We're all held accountable by state statutes,'' Norman said. ``You can't [have] across-the-board restrictions that take away our ability to do our jobs.''
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Some commissioners likened campaign contributions to free gifts, arguing that if they enforce a policy prohibiting acceptance of gifts valued at more than $100, they also should reject campaign contributions greater than that amount. State law caps contributions at $500 per election.