Local power players work behind the scenes

Posted Jan 20, 2012 by Lindsay Peterson

Updated Jan 20, 2012 at 01:57 PM

This week in the Tampa Tribune, my colleague Michael Sasso wrote about a group of local power players with a moniker sure to pique any reporter’s curiosity.

The No Name group.

The club of business elites has been around for more than a decade, but doesn’t appear in any news clips. Some elected leaders have never heard of it. Others have, but won’t talk about it on the record, Michael wrote in the story that ran in the Tribune on Thursday.

On Wednesday, Tom James, executive chairman of Raymond James Financial, acknowledged he is the leader of the No Namers and described them as a select group of local chief executives who have lunched together privately for years to chat about public issues.

And yes, James said, they probably do wield some influence.

What does this have to do with USF?

Several of the 49 or so members have close ties to the university, starting with President Judy Genshaft.

The chairman of the USF Board of Trustees and CEO of TECO Energy, John Ramil, is on the list Michael obtained.

Also: Rhea Law, long-time USF trustee and chairwoman of Fowler White Boggs; Lee Arnold, recent trustee and founder of real estate firm Colliers International Tampa Bay; and major USF donor Les Muma.

How they use their power is a matter of speculation.

One source in the story said he wished they’d use their collective influence more to promote Tampa, particularly compared to Orlando, home of fast-growing University of Central Florida.

But this leaves no doubt about how tightly USF is wired into the community and the power it has to steer Tampa’s growth.

You can read Michael’s story here.