Magic paid pundit to keep quiet on new arena
Team calls $200,000 in payments “an error in judgment”
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ORLANDO, Fla. - The Orlando Magic paid a political consultant and frequent tax critic $200,000 not to oppose plans for a recently announced new arena, the club has disclosed.
The payments were made at two different points to Doug Guetzloe, who also hosts a local radio show billed as “The Voice of the People.” The Magic gave him $100,000 to support a similar stadium push in 2001 and another $100,000 this year.
The payments were handled through the Magic’s law firm, Lowndes, Drosdick, Doster, Kantor & Reed, which has been tied to hundreds of thousands in payments to Guetzloe for unspecified purposes. The team says it is reevaluating its relationship with one of the firm’s lawyers.
The firm did not return telephone messages left Friday afternoon seeking comment.
The Magic’s payments were made in support of a $1 billion downtown overhaul — delivering a new arena, renovated Citrus Bowl and new performing arts center.
“We were told that there was an offer by those in the minority that oppose the three community venues to hire him if we did not,” Magic chief operating officer Alex Martins said in a written statement. “He has been publicly involved in many major projects in central Florida for more than a decade. In hindsight, it was an error in judgment.”
The Magic weren’t the only ones paying Guetzloe. A Kissimmee resort gave him $87,000 when it pursued public money to expand a convention center, and the local expressway authority has paid him $107,500 to evaluate opposition to toll increases despite his heavy criticism of the agency.
The payments to Guetzloe have come to light from an investigation by the state attorney’s office. He faces misdemeanor charges for allegedly violating campaign disclosure laws relating to an attack ad on a suburban candidate for mayor.
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The Magic arena is projected to cost $480 million, with the team responsible for overruns and some $200 million in costs. They could start playing there in 2010.
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