Tampa among 4 finalists for 2012 Republican convention

Tampa is a finalist in a bid to host the 2012 Republican National Convention.

Travis Claytor, spokesman for the nonprofit Tampa Bay & Co., which submitted the bid, said Tampa is one of four finalists selected by the Republican National Committee.

The RNC will send a team to the city as part of the final selection process this spring. The official site for the 2012 convention is expected to be named by late summer.

Tampa was among cities considered to host the GOP convention in 2004 and 2008 but lost to New York in 2004 and Minneapolis-St. Paul in 2008.

In August, GOP Party Chairman Michael Steele wrote to Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and Tampa Bay & Co., asking the city to apply for the convention. His letter gave specifics of what is needed, such as seating for 18,000 people, 15,000 first-class hotel rooms and 1,000 hotel suites, and a minimum of 350,000 square feet of media space adjacent to or near the convention center.

Mayor Pam Iorio has pledged support for the endeavor but no city money. For the 2008 convention, the city pledged $1 million in local money.

If the bid is successful, a host committee would have to enter into an agreement with the city to compensate it for the cost of police coverage and other municipal services, said Santiago Corrada, the city's neighborhood services director and Iorio's point person for the city on the convention bid.

An RNC spokeswoman declined to name cities vying for 2012, but The Associated Press has reported that Phoenix and Salt Lake City will join Tampa as possible locations.

"And I think Tampa is right there," said Joe Gruters, chairman of the Sarasota Republican Party. "And I think Florida over the last two presidential cycles has proven how important it is and Florida may once again become the swing state and that's why I think at the end of the day they'll choose Florida."

He expects communities south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge to play a role, both as republican strongholds with plenty of people and quite a bit of money, on whether or not Tampa gets the convention.

And Congressman Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, has pledged to contribute some political pressure to the cause.

"I'm pretty active in terms of working with the RNC and NRCC on some things. And I'm just going to do everything I can to bring whatever influence I can," he said.

And Congressman Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, has pledged to contribute a little political pressure to the cause.

"I'm pretty active in terms of working with the RNC and NRCC (National Republican Congressional Committee) on some things. And I'm just going to do everything I can to bring whatever influence I can," he said.