Instead, the team and county officials are meeting this week to set up a schedule and a pro forma for the estimated $75-million renovation of the 12-year-old, 17,250-seat, 395,000-sf TD Waterhouse Centre.

Those renovation talks could become strident since the team insists it will not agree to play its 2002 season at any of the smaller nearby courts, county planners following the controversy tell GlobeSt.com on condition of anonymity. The Magic wants to play at the existing arena while the renovations are underway.

"It's a losing battle for the Magic on this not-leaving-the-arena argument, as it has been in their power play to get this $250-million arena built from hotel room tax proceeds," a local hotel executive tells GlobeSt.com on condition of anonymity.