Do you want to be a big-league sports town, Orlando?

Or do you want to be Yeehaw Junction?

It's time to finally make that decision.

In case you haven't heard, there is tourist tax money again in the county coffers; lots and lots of tourist tax money -- a record amount of tourist tax money. According to a recent news story in the Sentinel, annual revenues from the most recent tourist tax were $111 million -- $3 million more than the record-setting year before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

It was right after 9/11 when the Magic shelved their plans to pursue a new arena because of the massive financial hit taken by the tourism industry. Back then, political leaders made it clear to the team that there simply wasn't enough tourist tax money to help pay for a new building.

Now the tourist tax money is there, but, predictably, local politicians already are balking on whether to spend it on a new arena and a much-needed renovation for the Citrus Bowl.

Comptroller Martha Haynie is worried about another unexpected downturn in the tourism industry and says Orange County needs to stash away the excess tourist tax money while it pays off the $1 billion debt on -- surprise, surprise -- the convention center.

"This is not the time to start looking for new projects," Haynie said. "The reality is we could have four more hurricanes next year -- who the heck knows?"

Translation: Let's sit here and watch the Magic leave and the Citrus Bowl crumble while we hoard our money and huddle in our houses waiting for another once-in-a-lifetime tragedy. That's a great way to live life, huh?

Will somebody please explain to our politicians that it cost money to be a big-league city? Sure, the convention center is important, but so are the Magic, so is the Citrus Bowl, so is a new performing arts center.

I know what many of you are thinking: We don't even go to Magic games, so why should we build a new arena?

Well, I don't go to the park at Lake Eola either, but I'm glad it's there. And I don't use public boat ramps, but I think we should have them. These are quality-of-life amenities just like sports/concert venues, performing arts centers and museums. If you live in a big city, you expect these things.

And please spare me the tired argument about how we should be spending our tax dollars on roads and schools, not arenas and stadiums. Read my lips: The tourism tax DOES NOT go to roads or schools. By state law, this tax is money earmarked for tourism, the arts or sports facilities. Little Johnny's FCAT score isn't going to suffer one iota if we build a new arena.

Magic General Manager John Weisbrod already has had preliminary discussions with local leaders and says this almost certainly will be the team's last effort to get a new arena. If not, the franchise almost certainly will move.

"The fundamental question for the people of Orlando is whether we want all the resort tax money to be angled for conventions and accommodating visitors or whether we want 1 cent of it to go toward accommodating our own community and culture," Weisbrod said. "Obviously, we feel it would be worthwhile to build some things in the community rather than putting all the money in a convention center that's already big enough to house a third-world country."

After 9/11, a new arena was understandably put on hold because the tourism money dried up.

But now the money is there.

And the time has come.

And the train is pulling out.

Let's just hope the next stop isn't Yeehaw Junction.