In 1995/96, after three previous failures to vote for a new stadium here in Tampa, the brilliant minds here in Hillsborough County came up with the Community Investment Tax Plan, claiming the 1% tax increase would rebuild roads, parks, schools, fire and police depts, etc., and whatever was left would go towards a new football stadium for the Bucs, and the soon to be USF Bulls. What a joke it was - all those goodies surrounding and obscuring (in the mind of lemming voters) the main goal, which was a new stadium. The new owners of the Bucs, the Glazers were all in for the project, publicly promising that the team would pay for half of the new stadium, around $180 million would be their share.
The proposal barely passed, with about 105,000 for and about 102,000 against. But pass it did. I, as a Buc-can-eers! Go Bucs! season ticket holder since day one in 1976, lobbied extensively AGAINST the proposal, knowing full well the Glazers and the team would not pay one dime. I was really harassed about being a season ticket holder and against the proposal, being told if there was no new stadium, the Bucs would leave. I didn't care if they would have left then, as I don't care if they leave, or if the league even survives, now.
Today, 22 years later, and with the new stadium in place since 1998, The Bucs have not paid a dime towards their promise, and they will not pay a dime.
People and the sponsors call it Raymond James Stadium. I call it the CIT Stadium. Although I am still a season ticket holder today, I have been disappointed with the NFL since then as a whole, and really so now with the politicization of the league. The taxpayers were on the hook then, as we are now.