The GOP Came To St. Petersburg….And Stiffed Taxpayers With A Massive Bill…

ST. PETERSBURG “” The city is $5.2 million over budget this year, including nearly $600,000 in expenses for hosting a welcome party for the Republican National Convention.
The tab comes after Mayor Bill Foster repeatedly declared that taxpayers wouldn’t be on the hook for the Sunday bash at Tropicana Field. The money is on top of $1 million in police costs that Tampa agreed to give the city from a $50 million federal grant it received for convention security.
It cost St. Petersburg $580,000 for workers to prepare the city for RNC activities.
“I don’t know what to say about this,” Council Chair Leslie Curran said Thursday. She learned of the shortfall from the Tampa Bay Times.
GOP STIFFS