Official pitches moving Olympics to Florida
One of Florida’s top elected officials has a dream of luring the Olympic Games away from Tokyo to the Sunshine State.
Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis’ pitch: Florida has succeeded in hosting marquee sporting match-ups despite the COVID-19 pandemic, with the Super Bowl up next. The state’s ready-made tourism network is prepared to host visitors. Disney World has continued to operate with safeguards in place
“Whatever precautions are required let’s figure it out and get it done,” Patronis wrote in a letter sent Monday to Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee.
The letter helped to score Patronis — a Republican who holds an elected position many Floridians don’t know exists — headlines across the state.
But don’t get the Olympic torch burning quite yet. The Japanese government has denied reports that it is considering canceling the games, and the International Olympic Committee signaled it is committed to hosting the games in Tokyo
this summer.
Patronis, the state’s top fiscal officer, hasn’t supplied a plan for paying for the Olympic Games, which is costing Japan at least $15.4 billion. Japan also has had more success in containing the virus, recording 5,119 COVID19 deaths as of Monday compared with 25,293 deaths in Florida.
Still, Patronis isn’t deterred. He listed Florida’s sporting successes during the pandemic, including Ultimate Fighting Championship bouts in Jacksonville and NBA games in Orlando. The NCAA college football championship was held at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, and the Super Bowl will take place Feb. 7 in Tampa.
On cost, Patronis said he doesn’t think hosting the Olympics would require a sizable investment.
“Japan has made the bulk of their investments anticipating an event for a pre-pandemic world,” he said in a prepared statement. “Since the virus hit, many sports have become predominately televised events. Moreover, with all of the sports facilities across the state, Florida can successfully deliver an Olympic event to the world for little-to-no cost.”
The International Olympic Committee hasn’t weighed in on Patronis’ letter, but in a statement Friday, the committee said it is “committed to the successful delivery of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020 this year.”
Officials postponed the 2020 Summer Olympics as the new coronavirus spread across the globe. Competition is now set to start on July 23.
Organizers said the cost of the Tokyo Olympics is at least $15.4 billion with an audit by the Japanese government putting the cost even higher at $25 billion, Associated Press reported.
Japan — a nation of 126 million people — has recorded a much smaller number of COVID-19 deaths and infections than Florida, which is home to 21 million people.
As of Monday, Japan has reported 365,899 COVID19 cases and 5,119 deaths, compared with Florida’s more than 1.6 million COVID-19 cases and 25,293 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University.
If Patronis’ long-shot bid is successful, it would be the 10th time the Olympic Games have been held in the United States and the first time in Florida.