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Tampa Sports Authority Director Under Fire

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE | The Tampa Tribune

Published: March 12, 2009

TAMPA - A member of the Tampa Sports Authority's Board Executive Committee wants to fire the authority's long-time director, Henry Saavedra.

Vincent Marchetti, chairman of the TSA board's executive committee, plans to ask other committee members today to consider a motion to terminate Saavedra's contract.

To do so, he will need approval from the three-member executive committee to put the item on the agenda at next Monday's meeting of the 11-member board of directors.

Ultimately, the full board would need to approve Saavedra's termination.

"In essence, I have lost faith in Henry's ability to lead the TSA organization in the future," Marchetti wrote in a memo to fellow committee members, pointing out that "Henry is a good person and does a lot of good community service on his personal time."

Saavedra couldn't immediately be reached for comment.

The executive committee, which includes Marchetti, Hillsborough County Commissioner Jim Norman and Andrew Scaglione, meets at noon at Raymond James Stadium.

Marchetti cities several examples of how Saavedra has not fallen short of his duties, including failing to inform the board about pending litigation and investment losses.

"It deeply troubles me that Saavedra has apparently taken the position that the TSA should be run as a private entity and not the public body that it is," Marchetti wrote.

Saavedra came under fire from committee members last October for failing to disclose that a former board member had done consulting work for the authority's law firm.

The allegations involved Sue House, who did consulting work for GrayRobinson while serving on the authority board from 1995 to 2007, including a stint as chairwoman.

Saavedra and House denied any conflict of interest, but the authority's general counsel, John Van Voris of GrayRobinson, stepped down shortly after the allegations surfaced.

Saavedra, director since 1997, is paid $205,000 a year.

The TSA manages Raymond James Stadium and three city golf courses. It is funded by the county and the city of Tampa tax revenues, and from proceeds from Raymond James Stadium.

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