A stretch limousine parked across two handicapped spaces in front of Straz Hall for over an hour on Thursday afternoon.
A Security officer said that the vehicle was with “the coach from Tennessee,” who was touring the University of Tampa’s athletic fields to consider using them for his team’s preparation for a bowl game.
The event in question was the Outback Bowl, where Tennessee will face Wisconsin on New Year’s Day, according to The Minaret’s Sports Editor, Peter Arrabal.
The Outback Bowl is held annually at Raymond James Stadium.
Arrabal said it is typical for teams to use the university’s sports fields during the winter break to train for this and other upcoming games. “One of the teams last year definitely did,” he said.
In the 2007 match up, Tennessee was defeated by Penn State with a final score of 20-10.
The Security officer claimed that the parking arrangement was being allowed because the vehicle would be there for only a short time and the driver was present in case the spaces needed to be vacated for legitimate handicapped motorists.
The officer was questioned at approximately 1:20 p.m., around an hour after the limousine was first spotted in the handicapped spaces. The limousine, from the Embassy Limousine luxury vehicle rental service, left by 2:15 p.m.