TAMPA — While lots of football fans are brainstorming how they might score tickets to the Super Bowl in Tampa, some bay area politicians don't have to worry.
The NFL has mailed invitations to dozens of local elected officials offering the chance to purchase two tickets for $2,000, plus $20 in handling charges.
The Super Bowl will be played Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium.
The overture was a thank you for "personal efforts during the planning stage of Super Bowl XLIII," according to the letter from Frank Supovitz, the NFL's senior vice president for events.
NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said tickets are always made available to the host city's local elected officials.
Among those receiving the offer this year: the mayors of Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater; Pinellas and Hillsborough commissioners; the Tampa City Council; and Florida legislators from the area.
Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio said she'll accept.
"I will pay for my own ticket and my husband's ticket," she said.
Iorio said the tickets are costly, but she feels she must attend.
"It's not something that I would ever consider doing, but for the fact I am mayor of Tampa and have a responsibility to the city," she said. "I think people expect me to be there to greet people from out of town and the NFL owners, and to set the stage for getting other Super Bowls."
Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan also accepted the invitation to buy tickets with his own money.
"I have a long list of people who are hoping to go with me," he said, noting his wife, a football fan, would receive the honor.
Others, though, declined to buy the tickets, saying they are too expensive or they don't believe it's appropriate to go.
"First, it's a lot of money. And secondly, I don't think it's appropriate for me," said Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard. "It's one of the sporting events I've kind of always wanted to go to, but right now I think my family has other priorities for $2,020. Like feeding a small nation."
Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch felt the same.
"For that price we could buy a big-screen TV and keep it and watch it on television. In these times, it's probably best to be a little bit fiscally conservative, at least for our household," he said.
State Sen. Victor Crist of Tampa said he's not sure whether he received an invitation yet, but if he does, he'll pass on the offer.
"I'm not a big sports person. I'm into the arts. I worked my way through college teaching dance at a studio," he said. "I would pay $2,000 to go to New York for something cultural."
Tampa City Council member Tom Scott said he's still deciding.
"Right now I'm leaning more toward not going," he said. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime experience … but generally I host a Super Bowl party with my church."
He said he will look into buying the tickets and passing them on to someone else.
"People have been asking me if I can get tickets," he said. "I have to find out what the rules are."
Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3401.
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