ST. PETERSBURG - Stadium critics eager to turn the November election into a referendum on spending tax dollars on pro sports teams have found allies in Tallahassee.

Legislators are proposing laws that would require voters to sign off on any use of public dollars that would benefit pro sports franchises.

Critics say the legislation could stall potential stadium deals for the Tampa Bay Rays and Florida Marlins and hurt Florida's reputation as a sports haven. It also could affect the state's ongoing battle to keep spring training teams from moving to Arizona.

But St. Petersburg activists hoping to get a similar measure before locals in November are thrilled that their debate has come to Tallahassee.

The group, Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfront, has struggled to gather sufficient signatures to add its referenda to the election lineup.

POWW leaders said they will now rally local legislators to support the Tallahassee bills.

"All of a sudden, POWW is not alone," said founder Hal Freedman. "Someone else thinks this is a serious issue."

House Bill 253 and Senate Bill 474 are essentially the same: Sports teams seeking public funds must get the okay from the appropriate voters. State money would require a statewide vote, while city voters would decide on city money.

"It's pretty hard to ask a guy who is making a couple hundred dollars a week to use his tax dollars to go toward a stadium that the Marlins are then going to charge you for a ticket that you can't afford," said Sen. Michael Bennett, R-Bradenton, who is sponsoring the Senate bill.

The House bill could have a tougher time.

Sponsor Eduardo Gonzalez, R-Hialeah, acknowledged it will be hard to drum up significant support when legislators are already overwhelmed by one crisis after another.

Some legislators in the Tampa Bay area said they would not support the bill.

"I don't believe that it is the taxpayers' responsibility to pay for sports franchise stadiums, but whether all of the people in the state should vote on a particular kind of stadium that Pinellas County might want, for example, I don't think that's appropriate," said Rep. Bill Heller, D-St. Petersburg.

City leaders have similar concerns about POWW's proposed referenda.

One amendment would require voter approval for any city funding for pro sports facilities.

The other would require voter approval for substantial changes to St. Petersburg's waterfront parks. The city charter states that any long-term private development of a waterfront park must be put to a referendum, but the city itself can do what it wants with its land. The amendment on waterfront parks would change that.

Mayor Rick Baker said the petitions come across as "anti-Rays."

"I'm not sure what the objective is, frankly," he said.