From the St. Pete Times Forum, regarding tonight’s cancellation of the NBA preseason exhibition game between the Miami Heat and Orlando Magic:
Dear Basketball Fans,
This evening, an NBA preseason game between the Miami Heat and the Orlando Magic was cancelled due to a playing surface that was deemed unplayable. The combination of back to back events in our facility and the wrong cleaning solution applied to the floor when it was last used several months ago resulted in playing conditions that were not commensurate with NBA standards and the world class players who play the game. While some felt the court was indeed playable, our sole focus was player safety and leaving nothing to risk.
We sincerely apologize to those fans who were inconvenienced. We also pledge that the new team leading this enterprise will use this unfortunate event as motivation to drive our passion of operating a world class arena, which delivers world class events for the Tampa Bay community.
Refunds will be made to all ticket buyers at point of purchase. More information is attached. Again, we sincerely apologize for this inconvenience to sports and entertainment fans in the Tampa Bay.
Sincerely,
Tod Leiweke
CEO
St. Pete Times Forum
& Tampa Bay Lightning
Please be advised of the following refund procedures for tonight’s game:
Customers Who Purchased Through Ticketmaster:
• Online purchases will automatically be refunded
• Phone purchases will automatically be refunded
•Outlet purchases will need to return to the point of purchase beginning Monday in order to receive refunds.
Customers Who Purchased Through The Box Office or Sales Offices:
• These need to be refunded through the point of purchase
• We will refund tonight for as many as we can handle
• Encourage customers to contact their sales reps beginning Monday to request the refund.
• Refunds will be available at the Box Office during normal business hours.
Customers who purchased Through Third Parties
• Will need to contact their point of purchase for refunds. These cannot be refunded through the Box Office or Ticketmaster.