fanfish

Marlins Stadium Update No. 5 million something > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 1:04 AM The Marlins ballpark project has never been simple, but just when people start to believe there will be smooth sailing? well, welcome to Miami. On Thursday, Miami City Commissioners took what was described as essentially a procedural vote amending the budget of the Omni Community Redevelopment Agency ? raising the $1.43 million commitment to Miami-Dade County to pay down debt on the Performing Arts Center to $5 million in the coming year ? into a debate about the ballpark and the rest of the $3 billion worth of projects in the city-county plan approved in December. They also raised concerns that Miami police are objecting to a plan to split patrols at the new ballpark between the city and county. Although city officials took great pains to say the funding change wasn?t needed to pay for a ballpark, commissioners took the opportunity to lash out at the county and the projects in the city-county plan. ?We are not responsible for the debacle that is the Performing Arts Center. It?s not our fault cost overruns went up to $500 million, yet we say this is the jewel of the city,? said Commissioner Tomas Regalado, who opposes the city-county plan. ?We have to take the building, the white elephant. Why should the residents of Miami pay for the mistakes the county makes?? Commissioners Angel Gonzalez and Michelle Spence-Jones also complained about the county taking advantage of the city and both said they felt they?d been misled about the details of the city-county plan. ?Once again the city has to swallow whatever the county gives them,? Spence-Jones said. ?I know people may be angry or upset [but] at the end of the day, my constituents elected me to make the right decision.? But when it came time to vote on the budget amendment, both Gonzalez and Spence-Jones stepped away from the dais so the amendment passed 2-1 with Regalado dissenting. The city?s vote came just days after several county commissioners expressed concern about the plan to finance a $515 million Marlins ballpark at the Orange Bowl, meaning there is likely to be significantly more debate before the project gets the go-ahead. The Baseball Stadium Agreement approved by city and county commissioners in February is binding ? meaning there are financial penalties should the project not go forward -- but that hasn?t stopped commissioners from objecting to elements of the plan. Final management, construction and financing agreements must be approved by July 1, under the terms of the agreement. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, a ballpark proponent, said the city, county and team have agreed to build a ballpark and can do so without worrying whether a port tunnel, museum park and other projects are built. ?The baseball deal stands on its own,? Diaz said late Thursday. He said the city and county agreed to fund a variety of projects that have been discussed for years. ?Our goal is to build a great urban core, but each of [the projects] have to be implemented individually.? As always, stay tuned?

None of this matters. Stadium is opening in 2011. I hope you are right. What really worries me is that the judge that is handling the Norman lawsuit ruled earlier this month that the lawsuit had merit and allowed it to continue without dismissing it. I know that the county lawyers feel confident that they will prevail but that is exactly what I would expect them to say even if they believed they were in trouble. I think that the disagreements within the County Commission will be settled. There will be debates when the management agreement comes up for the vote. Each commissioner will try to to include their own special interest group (as they should) and everyone will be happy. However, I fear that the commissioners that oppose the Mega Deal will again try to discuss and derail the Baseball Stadium Agreement and not concentrate on voting on the Management Agreement. We will hear negatives galore from Javier (crazy comish) Souto, Katty (nothing to do with baseball) Sorenson, and Gimenez. Hopefully Burgess had an opportunity to once again explain the Omni CRA expantion to Commissioner Martinez so that he would drop the opposition that he voiced during the police debate. kev24k, try to talk me out of my worries.

Without the current version of the baseball agreement this was situation: PAC - debt will be paid-off with tourist taxes Stadium - there's no stadium Tourist taxes - will be used to pay off the PAC debt CRA funds - will be used for the benefit of the CRA area (overtown, Liberty City, Omni) With the current version of the baseball agreement this is the situation: PAC - debt will be paid-off with CRA funds (from Miami residents) Stadium - there's a new stadium Tourist taxes - will be used to pay off the stadium debt CRA funds - will be used to pay off the PAC debt So what changes? The PAC debt still gets paid and the tourist taxes and the CRA funds still get used so no changes there. The changes are the new stadium is built and the Overtown, Liberty City and Omni areas don't get the benefit of the CRA funds collected from thiose areas. In other words, the CRA funds (from Miami residents) are being used for the stadium. The expansion of the Omni CRA will include the area where the PAC and the museums will be located. This means that the taxes collected in this area will be kept in that area and help pay for the PAC debt and the museums. I see no problem with that since the PAC is indeed located there and the museum will be very close by. The tourist taxes that were originally allocated toward the PAC debt will now be available to pay for the stadium. The OMNI area gets the benefit of having the PAC and the museums in that area and all the business they will attract such as restaurants, new condo buildings etc. The Overtown CRA is a different area which is not affected by the OMNI CRA expansion. What Martinez was wondering is this: He thought that the expansion of the OMNI CRA would take away money from the county's general fund (that could be used elsewhere) by forcing the monies collected in the expanded area to stay in the area where it is collected. What Burgess was trying to explain to him was that the expansion of the CRA to the area in question ( where the museums will be built) would not subtract from the general fund since no taxes are collected from that area now since presently the area is empty and does not represent any tax income to the county. However by expanding the CRA the monies collected would be able to be used to help pay for the museums. I am sure that Burgess will have the opportunity to explain this to the commissioner way before the important meetings. I think Martinez will be back on board as will Commissioner Sejas. I believe Sorenson, Gimenez and Souto will vote against anything stadium related. I think the vote will pass by 9-3 margin, giving it the 2/3 majority it needs.

April 8, 2008 Marlins Stadium Update No. 40,808 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 6:25 PM Miami-Dade County Commissioners signed off on a plan Tuesday to split the police and fire patrols at a new Marlins ballpark between the county and city of Miami, but the heated debate could still spell trouble for a ballpark at the Orange Bowl. Armando Aguilar, president of Miami?s Fraternal Order of Police, objected to the plan and several commissioners still have serious reservations about the financing for the $515 million ballpark and $94 million garage, which relies heavily on tourist taxes. Commissioners voted 7-3 for the security plan, with Commissioners Natacha Seijas, Javier Souto and Joe Martinez voting no and Commissioners Katy Sorenson, Rebeca Sosa and Carlos Gimenez absent at the time of the vote. The security plan will be part of the ballpark management agreement, which along with the financing and construction agreements must be in place by July 1, under the terms of the Baseball Stadium Agreement approved in February. Under the security plan, county police will patrol inside the venue while the city handles the surrounding area and the traffic. For eight city events at the venue each year, city police would patrol the venue; likewise, the county would handle the eight county events. Firefighters meanwhile will share responsibilities for each event with equal numbers of units from the city and county. The city commission is expected to consider the plan at its meeting on Thursday. But the security agreement stirred little reaction from commissioners, who instead took aim at the ballpark financing plan. Martinez said he is particularly concerned that general fund revenue, rather than tourist taxes, will be put toward the ballpark under the city-county plan to fund $3 billion in projects, including a port tunnel, museums and the ballpark. The plan calls for the expansion of the city?s redevelopment agencies to generate more property tax dollars so tourist taxes can be used for other projects. County Manager George Burgess insisted several times the ballpark is not contingent on expanding the redevelopment agencies and that the ballpark does not rely on general fund revenue, but that the additional property tax money will allow the county to fund other projects. Souto, who opposes the city-county plan, called the whole project ?fuzzy math.? ?The whole project is a beautiful project, if we have the monies, but we don?t have the monies,? Souto said. Gimenez, too, opposes the baseball stadium agreement, over concerns the Marlins? contribution has been reduced and the funding for infrastructure has not been determined. He and Martinez also expressed concern that there aren?t enough votes on the commission to move the project forward. The agreement reached in February only required a majority vote of commissioners, but subsequent votes on the final agreements require a two-thirds vote of the commissioners present ? or nine if all 13 commissioners are in attendance. Meanwhile Burgess and Assistant County Manager Ray Baker are traveling to Washington, DC where they will take a tour of the Nationals just-opened ballpark on Wednesday. The Marlins are playing the Nationals Wednesday and Thursday.

I think we need to be patient here. Just because Andino his a couple of HR does not make him a superstar. He was totally over matched by big league pitching last year, but he looks much more comfortable this year. This should earn him some spot starts at 2B, SS, and 3B, especially while Amezaga is platooned in center. If he can consistently hit for power and average then he would have to be considered as the starting 3B if Cantu continues to falter. We would have to look at his OBP to see if he could be the lead-off hitter and move Hanley to the third spot in the lineup. Andino certainly has the speed and the defensive ability to help our team, but again, lets not get ahead of ourselves. He still needs to prove he belongs after the other teams take a good look at him and figure out his weaknesses.

If Loria has it his way, it will be the "orange" tower. I have a bad feeling that the teal will be phased out in favor of his favorite color as the Florida Marlins become the Miami Marlins.

This guy is rating closers, not bullpens. The Marlins bullpen is one of the best in baseball.

Marlins Stadium Update No. 911,000 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 11:25 PM OK, it?s not much of an update, but it?s almost the deadline for an agreement on which police and fire departments will patrol a new Marlins ballpark. Among the items raised during last month?s seemingly endless Miami-Dade County Commission debate over the ballpark was whether county or city police and fire would patrol the venue. County officials promised to resolve the contentious issue within 30 days ? or risk derailing the plan to build a $515 million retractable roof ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl. On Tuesday, county commissioners extended the deadline for the law enforcement issue to be resolved until April 8 ? the next scheduled meeting of county commissioners. I?m being told the issue of which jurisdiction will win the coveted patrol ? more than likely it will be a blended patrol ? will be resolved and will not prevent the ballpark agreement from moving forward. -------------------------- At least now we have a date when to expect an announcement of the law enforcement issue in the new stadium. April 8

"In an effort to make some sort of concession to their city counterparts, county commissioners have considered giving city police the outside-the-stadium traffic spots, as well as all positions at a new soccer stadium the city has plans to build next door." That seems logical to me!

February 22, 2008 Marlins Stadium Update No. 2011 http://blogs.trb.com/sports/custom/business/blog/ > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 12:16 PM Random thoughts in the wake of the approvals to build a $515 million ballpark for the Marlins and a $94 million parking garage at the site of the Orange Bowl: + Yes, there are still lots of questions to be answered. Among them: How much will the infrastructure ? road improvements, utility costs, etc? -- cost and how will it be paid for? Which police force ? city of Miami or Miami-Dade County ? will patrol the county-owned venue? How much will it cost to make the building environmentally friendly? Why is the team only securing a $20 million line of credit for cost overruns? Will Norman Braman?s lawsuit derail or significantly delay the project? + Will a group of people that spent more than seven hours debating the binding agreement really be able to approve future agreements that spell out how the ballpark will be financed, who will oversee the construction and a host of other issues? + Miami Commissioners made the process look easy ? spending fewer than three hours on the topic. Was it really necessary for Miami-Dade Commissioners to spend more than seven hours on this? I know it?s politics and everyone wants his say, but even if each of the dozen commissioners in attendance has 15 minutes each on the topic, that?s still only three hours of debate. Maybe I?ve just been to too many of these meetings. + Major League Baseball won?t contribute to the building of a ballpark for the Marlins, but it should be considered significant that the industry has made a commitment ? which could be the first of many -- to helping offset the cost of making the venue environmentally friendly. MLB President Bob DuPuy told city and county commissioners the Marlins ballpark would be the sport?s first ?Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design? project, and that it would match up to $1 million during the next two years to help achieve that goal. DuPuy also promised to continue discussions to create a youth baseball academy in Hialeah, which you may recall was one of the locations considered for a ballpark in the past, and to discuss options for the underused Homestead baseball complex. + And speaking of DuPuy, when it looked like the stadium agreement might be held up when county commissioners fretted over the issue of patrols for the venue and considered making changes to the document, which would have required it be sent back to the city for another vote, DuPuy went to the podium and forcefully urged a decision: ?From Major League Baseball?s standpoint, the failure to move forward today is a death knell for baseball in South Florida.? + And finally, for now, there?s still more work to be done, but politicians, Marlins and MLB officials were all smiles after the agreement was approved late Thursday. Marlins President David Samson called it: "The first day of the rest of our franchise history." And DuPuy told commissioners they wouldn?t be sorry when the ballpark opens and team changes its name to Miami Marlins: ?I can promise you as difficult as these processes are, on Opening Day, when you see the looks on the kids faces as they come through the turnstiles to see the very first Miami Marlins game in the new ballpark, I guarantee you for everybody in this room, it?ll be all worth it.

I believe that all the minor league baseball stadiums in the state have been financed by the municipalities. All the other sports stadiums (except Dolphin Stadium) have been built with public support. Even Dolphins stadium has been help by public funds when the state gave money to help them convert to allow baseball to be played there. I don't think any judge will single out the Marlins Stadium and ignore what has been routinely done in the state.

As always Sarah Talalay offers the best summary of what's going on with the stadium deal. Marlins Stadium Update No. 515 million http://blogs.trb.com/sports/custom/busines...o_515.html#more > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 12:37 PM I have been asked repeatedly if the new agreement forged by the Marlins, Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami, and Major League Baseball for a ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl spells the end of the team?s years-long quest for a home of its own. The simple answer is: I don?t know. As many of you know, I have followed this saga for eight and a half years. I have read numerous Memorandums of Understanding, been at press conferences with smiling officials who proclaimed the day had finally come to build a stadium. I've followed the goings-on in Tallahassee six times in eight years. So for me to believe that the $515 million, 37,000-seat retractable roof ballpark will finally be built, I will need to see the shovel put in the ground -- something team officials hope will happen by year?s end. That said, here?s why this agreement is different from all previous proposals: On paper the ballpark is fully funded without a gap. It is a binding 35-year agreement that includes penalties should any side breach its responsibility or terminate the deal. (It?s a complex formula, but it ensures that all sides will essentially be out the same amount of money if the deal fails). It lays out specific time frames for every element of the deal -- from environmental reviews of the Orange Bowl site to definitive financing documents. City and county commissioners are now being briefed on the deal. Historically, the commissions have supported the ballpark project ? although rarely unanimously ? and there should be interesting debate at Thursday?s 9 a.m. city meeting and 1 p.m. county meeting. This is a significant amount of public money, but officials will take pains to stress that the $297 million of county dollars and $13 million of city dollars are derived from tourist taxes that can only be used for convention centers, sports venues and related projects -- not schools, roads or social services. The additional $50 million comes from a general obligation bond that county voters approved in 2004 to renovate the Orange Bowl. With the OB coming down, the county has moved those dollars to the ballpark project. County lawyers believe they have followed proper procedure to move the money (they had a citizens advisory panel review it and held a public hearing). But a lawsuit by luxury auto dealer Norman Braman challenges the move, among other issues, saying it violates the state constitution. (Braman is also challenging the city and county?s decision to expand Miami?s Community Redevelopment Agencies to generate millions of property tax dollars to pay for $3 billion worth of city projects. Some CRA dollars are to be used to pay down debt on the performing arts center, freeing up millions in hotel-bed tax dollars for other projects. Braman?s lawsuit says changing the form of the bond repayment breaches the contract with bondholders, of which he is one.) The city will pay $10 million for demolition of the Orange Bowl and preparation of the site. This figure is not included in the $515 million ballpark project cost because the city will have to do the work regardless of whether a stadium is built there. The city will oversee the building of a $94 million 6,000-space parking garage, but it will get help from the team, which will pay for most of the parking spaces annually and then re-sell them. The rest of the money is to come from the Marlins -- $155 million the team is mostly privately financing, but $35 million of that is in the form of rent payments of $2.3 million a year for the life of the deal. The rent part has been included so that the team will be able to contribute to the $2 million annual maintenance fund that is also being supported by the county and city. The team has agreed to cover cost overruns, unless delays are caused by the city or county. At the very least, Braman?s lawsuit could hold up plans for the ballpark. There are any number of other ways to delay and derail the project. But people close to the project think this is the closest they?ve ever come to realizing a ballpark. As I always say: stay tuned?.

FLORIDA MARLINS Marlins stadium deal clears crucial hurdles http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/411162.html Differences that have delayed a deal to build the Marlins a new ballpark appear to be ebbing. Posted on Fri, Feb. 08, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email By CHARLES RABIN crabin@MiamiHerald.com When Miami-Dade County commissioners voted Thursday to give the Florida Marlins and county administrators a three-week window to finalize negotiations for a new ballpark in Little Havana, County Manager George Burgess grinned. Here's why: The parties have overcome two main sticking points -- agreeing on how to split revenues from a $94 million parking garage, and how to pay for $2 million a year in improvements at the proposed $525 million, retractable-roof stadium. Smoothing out those details could help deliver the Marlins the permanent home they've craved. ''Yes, we have an agreement,'' Miami City Manager Pete Hernandez said Thursday. ``The legal aspects must now be finalized by the attorneys.'' The near-closure comes after days of intense negotiations over fine-point details that have stalled ballpark financing terms since December, and delayed three votes at the county level. County Commission Chairman Bruno Barreiro said the three sides -- county, city and ball club -- have never been this close to consensus. ''There's been substantial progress,'' said Barreiro. ``I think there will be very good news soon.'' Just last week, Burgess said it could take into March before an accord was reached. Irritated by such delays, County Commissioner Jose ''Pepe'' Diaz pushed Thursday for the parties to cement the deal by month's end. If they couldn't, Diaz implied, the talks could be cut off. ''We need a contract in front of us. Every single day that goes by is costing more money to build that stadium,'' Diaz said. ``If it's not used for the stadium, we have an opportunity to use it for other things.'' Other commissioners quickly agreed to give both sides a shortened deadline. If the county does not meet the end-of-February deadline, commissioners could vote again to extend it. Miami commissioners have yet to vote on their share of the financing plan. The stadium is one piece of a $3 billion public-works megaplan for Miami. Even if the stadium is never built, it's unlikely it will affect any of the other project pieces, which include a port tunnel, a park next to museum park, hundreds of millions of dollars of affordable housing, perhaps even a $200 million streetcar system. In December, the day before the announcement of the so-called Global Agreement, Burgess showed a preliminary financing plan for the proposed $525 million, 37,000-seat, retractable-roof stadium that would be paid for by the county, Miami, and the Marlins. The county would own the stadium; the Marlins would be responsible for cost overruns. The plan calls for the county to spend $249 million, the city $121 million, and the Marlins $155 million up front. The city would build the parking garage. Most of the county and city money would come from tourist tax dollars, with smaller bits from bond money and freed-up payments from an old debt at Miami Arena. The Marlins' contract with H. Wayne Huizenga to play at Dolphin Stadium runs out at the end of 2010. The team has said in order to build a new ballpark in time for the start of the 2011 season, construction must begin by the end of the year, making each day delayed more pressing. The Marlins, with one of Major League Baseball's lowest attendance figures and payrolls, have complained that the Dolphin Stadium lease offers them little in suite or concession money. Miami's Hernandez said he hopes the attorneys wrap things up quickly enough to present financing plans to both commissions within the next two weeks.

Posted Feb.4,2008 http://blogs.trb.com/sports/custom/business/blog/ Marlins Stadium Update No. 20,408 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 7:02 PM There won?t be a vote of the Miami-Dade County Commission Tuesday on a financing plan for a $525 million ballpark for the Marlins, but Marlins President David Samson says the sides are still meeting. ?There?s been great cooperation between the city, county and the team and Major League Baseball acting as interested third party mediator,? Samson said Monday. ?The problem is we?re trying to negotiate a deal that cannot exist in a vacuum. There?s a lot of other issues to talk about and until everything can be worked out together, there?s no announcement on a completed deal. It?s not as easy as negotiating a contract with a player or an employee.? Among the outstanding issues are who will pay for a parking garage and maintenance of the venue. But Samson remains optimistic: ?This community has never been closer to having a done deal.? The longer the delay, however, the more difficult it will be to meet the Marlins deadline of opening a stadium by April 2011. The team has a lease at Dolphin Stadium through the 2010 season. He would not discuss auto dealer Norman Braman?s lawsuit specifically, but said the tourist dollars that would be used for the stadium cannot be used for general fund projects that aid the poor, kids or elderly. Braman is concerned the public has been cut out of the process and wants the overall plan to transform downtown Miami and help fund a ballpark to be considered by the voters. ?We said from day one in 2002, we would not build a stadium using dollars that could be used to help other issues in this community,? Samson said. ?This money cannot be used for anything other than to help build professional sports stadiums or to pay for other buildings like the performing arts center.?

It looks like the deal won't be ready for a vote on Feb. 5th meeting. This is the second source ( Barry Jackson was the other) that mentions a possible mid February date. We can only hope! The latest Talalay's Blog entry is bellow: Marlins Stadium Update No. 6,590 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 6:54 PM The public line is the sides are still negotiating a financing plan for a $525 million ballpark for the Marlins at the site of the Orange Bowl, but it won’t be ready in time for Tuesday’s Miami-Dade County Commission meeting, as some had hoped. A few sticking points remain, including the issue of who will pay for the parking garage and the annual maintenance of the venue. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz said he thinks the issues can all be resolved shortly – assuming everyone’s schedule can be freed up – and he’s hoping there will be a vote in the first half of this month. With this project, it’s impossible to predict anymore. Diaz dismisses those who believe he's behind any delays and says the city is willing to pay for the parking garage – as initially proposed – but is balking at paying for maintenance of a venue that will be owned by the county. “We don’t have any money and we don’t own the stadium,� Diaz said. “How in the world do we contribute to maintain something we don’t own?� He also insists he is not holding up the project to wait for Major League Soccer to grant Miami a soccer team, which could be years off, if at all. He said a 25,000-seat soccer stadium next to a ballpark would generate more revenue to help pay for the parking garage, but it isn’t a requirement. “Listen, the baseball deal is moving forward. It has nothing to do with the soccer deal,� Diaz said. “I’ve fought long and hard to get a baseball deal done. I think we can get a soccer deal done. One is not mutually exclusive of the other.� Diaz says talks will continue despite auto dealer Norman Braman’s lawsuit, which seeks to derail the $3 billion downtown Miami overhaul and plans for the ballpark. The former Philadelphia Eagles owner is concerned voters have been cut out of the process and their 2004 vote to put $50 million in general obligation bond funding toward renovation of the Orange Bowl has been dismissed in favor of putting those dollars toward a ballpark. His suit also claims a breach of contract for performing arts center bondholders, including himself, if the bond repayment is switched to Community Redevelopment Agency dollars to free up hotel bed tax dollars for the ballpark. Diaz doesn’t see why voters need to vote. “The public has never voted on an appropriation of convention [hotel bed tax] dollars or how the CRA dollars have been spent,� Diaz said.

Rotation, rotation, rotation. and rotation. Not to mention rotation. While those are all valid points, let's not forget rotation. Hitting and fielding are OK to mention, but the key is ...rotation

Now they seem to be talking about another delay! Maybe a mid February meeting (not Feb 5th). It's driving me nuts! The following came out in the Miami Herald today (Jan 30) FLORIDA SPORTS BUZZ Mayor defends stadium plan Posted on Wed, Jan. 30, 2008Digg del.icio.us AIM reprint print email By BARRY JACKSON bjackson@MiamiHerald.com Miami Mayor Manny Diaz says he's ''confident we will prevail'' against a Norman Braman lawsuit that potentially threatens the Marlins' stadium, and adamantly defends the controversial decision not to let the public vote on building the $525 million ballpark. The Marlins privately are optimistic the project won't be derailed, but clearly cannot be certain. And a few issues remain -- including financing for a parking garage and $2 million in annual stadium upkeep. The deal must be done by this spring for a 2011 ballpark opening. But the question asked is this: Why won't the city and county follow the wishes of Braman and others and allow a vote on the $3 billion city/county project that includes the ballpark on Orange Bowl grounds, Port of Miami tunnel, streetcar line and Bicentennial Park museums? ''There's a sense this should have been up for a vote,'' Diaz admitted. ``There's a sense that all of the meetings we had surrounding the negotiations should be with 50 [reporters] sitting around watching us negotiate. None of those are true. ``There's no legal requirement for any of this to be subject to a referendum. It's within the purview of the county and city to determine where tourist tax dollars go. . . . It's not like I'm taking money from anybody who lives in Little Havana to build this thing.'' In the deal, the boundaries of two Community Redevelopment Agency districts are being extended to help pay the $484 million debt for the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts. That's freeing up $307 million in tourist and convention taxes to use on the Marlins ballpark -- money that can be used only on sports and convention facilities. But here's what bothers some: CRA money is designed for affordable housing and infrastructure in poor neighborhoods and the revitalization of ''tourist areas that are deteriorating or economically distressed.'' (The megaplan adds a projected $605 million to revitalize Overtown and Park West.) A final version of the ballpark agreement must be formulated and approved by the city and county commissions -- which could take weeks. (The Marlins are eyeing a mid-February county commission meeting.) Diaz said the Marlins assured they would contribute the requested $155 million. Despite Diaz's confidence, a judge conceivably could halt the project if a court agrees with Braman that using $50 million in bond money -- originally designed to renovate the OB -- on a Marlins ballpark would violate the state constitution. ? Diaz said he wouldn't build a $100 million soccer stadium next to the proposed Marlins park unless he is assured Major League Soccer will award Miami a team. That hasn't happened yet, ``but they're very interested.''

Every week or so Sara Talalay's blog in the Sun Sentinel has very good updates on the Marlins Stadium saga. This is the latest. January 24, 2008 Marlins Stadium Update No. 788,936 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 11:56 PM It isn't yet clear what auto dealer Norman Braman's lawsuit challenging the wide-ranging plan to fund $3 billion in downtown Miami projects means for the still being negotiated plan for a $525 million Marlins ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl. Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami, the Marlins and Major League Baseball intend to keep negotiating a Baseball Stadium Agreement. "I have no reason to believe the deal is in trouble," MLB President Bob DuPuy said. "Stadium deals often engender opposition. I don?t view this as a reason to either delay or be concerned." In fact, negotiators might be more concerned an agreement still has yet to be reached. Nevertheless, some believe the suit could spell trouble if Braman prevails in court and a major source of ballpark funding is no longer available. At the very least being tied up in court could make it difficult for the Marlins to meet their April 2011 deadline for opening a ballpark. The team's lease at Dolphin Stadium expires after the 2010 season. "If I were a Marlins fan, I would be very worried. This is going to push back this stadium, this is going to push back this deal," said Bob Jarvis, a sports and constitutional law professor at Nova Southeastern University. Braman's suit claims the county's decision to move $50 million in general obligation bond funding approved by voters in 2004 to renovate the Orange Bowl to the ballpark project is unconstitutional. It also says changing the source of funding to repay the bonds on the performing arts center to free up money for the ballpark breaches the contract with bondholders, which include Braman. And that County Manager George Burgess negotiating the overall downtown plan -- and another for the stadium -- on behalf of the county commission in private is a violation of the state's public records law. The suit stems from the city and county agreeing last month to the plan, which would extend the life and expand the boundaries of Miami's Redevelopment Agencies to generate millions for the downtown projects, including a port tunnel. The agreement would use CRA dollars to pay down the arts center debt, thereby freeing up hotel bed tax dollars -- which have been paying the debt -- for the stadium. Braman says he is concerned taxpayers have been cut out of the process of deciding whether public dollars should be spent on a private enterprise like the Marlins. "The real issue is the taxpayers and voters that live in this county, I feel should have the right to say yes or no," he said. A former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, Braman has waged successful public battles in Miami before. In 1999, he helped defeat a one penny sales tax measure for county transit projects. In 1982, he led the effort to defeat a Miami sales tax measure to renovate the Orange Bowl for the Dolphins. "I think that while a ballpark would be nice, while there may be some economic benefits for some from the tunnel, these should be lower priority items and we shouldn't see any questionable switching of designated funds for this project," Jack McCabe, a Deerfield Beach real estate analyst and consultant, said, cautioning that he is not a lawyer. "I would think there probably are a number of other business leaders questioning these moves." But Jack Winston, a partner at Miami real estate and financial consulting firm Goodkin Consulting, said he thinks the city-county agreement is "an ingenious plan" to use CRA dollars which have grown with condo development in Miami, to fund a variety of projects. Winston said he doesn't think changing the source of repayment of the arts center bonds is a problem, since the county is guaranteeing they will be paid. And he's not sure moving the general obligation bond funds is an issue either, since the money is still going to a stadium at the same site, even if it isn't the Orange Bowl. "One's football and one's baseball. What's the difference?" Winston asked. "If it's recreation-oriented bonds, it's for the recreation and entertainment of the public. I don't think that makes a difference. I'm not an attorney, but I think that's going to be an issue that comes up in court." Jarvis, however, said he thinks the bond arguments are significant, but the public records law arguments might be even more harmful to the Marlins deal. "If the court accepts that, everything they've negotiated goes out the window," Jarvis said. "Even if they do everything again, but this time in public, that would set them back months and months. Every time you get these setbacks, the cost of the building goes up." POSTED IN: Florida Marlins (7), Marlins Stadium Updates (7)

SoFlaFish, thanks for taking the time to explain the Braman law suit. I feel much better.

The Miami Herald editors/writers don't care for anything other than the Dolphins... no, check that, first comes the Gators, then the Dolphins. They might as well change the name to the Gainsville Herald - Miami Edition... The Palm Beach Post does a better job of accurately reporting Marlins news than the Herald does ... Also, if you've seen video of the County Meetings, the stadium is not dependent on the other 4 parts of the megaplan. While they were all presented together as part of the global plan, each project needs to individually pass. It's not an all-or-nothing project. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but that's the sense that I got from watching the meetings... They keep saying that the baseball stadium deal is independent from the mega deal, so in that sense you are right. But they also say that the funds for the stadium will come from the funds originally slated by the county to pay back the PAC (performing arts center) loan. In the mega plan, the PAC loan is supposed to be paid by the money generated by extending the CRA (community redevelopment areas). That would free up the money that would be used for the stadium. If the extension of the CRA is in doubt, then I would suppose that the funding for the stadium would also be in question. Consequently, if the funding for the stadium is dependent on the mega plan, I can't see how they can say it is independent. If someone can explain it to me, please do so.

So February it is. And not long after it would be March. Before we know it, it's April and baseball season is on again. Then we get to May and June. After that, the sweltering months of July and August.....yeah, we know the drill. http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami_dade/story/385612.html This article contains the most worrisome news we've heard in a while. I thought they were just haggling over who will pay for a parking garage. If the main problem concerns uncertainty over the funds that would become available by approval of the entire mega-plan, then we're in trouble. The mega-plan foundations are starting to shake a bit, specially the part about declaring Watson Island a blighted area in order to extend the CRA. Lets hope they can finalize things before the whole plan crumbles along with our hopes.

This is what Sarah Talalay had to say about the delay. January 18, 2008 Marlins Stadium Update No. 51,246 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 5:41 PM Another week, another delay. Representatives of the Marlins, Major League Baseball, Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami are still negotiating a $525 million deal for a ballpark for the Marlins, but it won?t be ready ? again ? in time for Tuesday?s scheduled vote of the county commission. Those involved still believe the outstanding issues can be resolved and the framework of the financing plan is in place. Among the biggest unresolved issues is who will pay for a 6,000-space parking garage. In an earlier draft of the deal, the city was to be responsible for the parking garage. Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, however, has said in order for the garage to pay for itself, there need to be an additional 15 to 20 event dates at the location. ?You need a certain number of events to generate the amount of income you need so it at least breaks even,? Diaz said last month. That?s one of the reasons Diaz has been pushing for the building of a 25,000-seat soccer stadium for a future Major League Soccer team, next to the Marlins ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl. He?s been in talks with MLS, but there are no guarantees the city will be granted a team. County Commission Chairman Bruno Barreiro said if a Baseball Stadium Agreement is completed soon, the commission could consider it at its Feb. 5 meeting or at a special meeting, if commissioners agree to hold one.

We will remain a nation joke until we start winning. First we need to finally have our stadium. Then, as the arms we have in the farm system start making some noise and we start signing our future stars to long term contracts....then, and only then, will we be respected. It won't be long. Patience!

There is always something! The more the final vote is delayed the more I fear a meltdown. I hope MLB is involved in the final negotiations. The following is from BALLPARK DIGEST: Vote on new Marlins ballpark delayed Posted Jan. 9, 2008 A vote on a final lease and agreement for a new Florida Marlins ballpark has been delayed to give the team, Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami time to work out the final details. No surprise: we're hearing from insiders there's more disagreement over the final terms than you may think, as the team negotiates over the form of its contribution (the plan from Miami-Dade and Miami officials calls for the team to pay $155 million up front; the team wants to spread things out), who receives the proceeds of naming rights, and whether state aid for the new ballpark will be sought. (Given the Tampa Bay Rays have decided to forego state aid for a proposed $450-million waterfront ballpark, it would be in bad form for the Marlins to seek funding, many believe.) In a way, this is standard negotiating procedure, as the Marlins seek the best deal they can get.

Now it looks like we won't have a County vote until Jan. 22 and the City will vote on Jan. 24 I hope the parties involved can get their act together and have a final agreement ready for a vote on the dates outlined above. January 8, 2008 Marlins Stadium Update No. 3,899 > Posted by Sarah Talalay at 11:40 PM As alluded to in yesterday's blog item, the Baseball Stadium Agreement isn't ready for a vote of the Miami-Dade County Commission on Thursday. Representatives of the Marlins, Major League Baseball, the county and city of Miami have been negotiating the agreement for days, but there are still issues to be worked out. County Manager George Burgess is scheduled to give the commission an update on negotiations at Thursday's commission meeting. Commission Chairman Bruno Barreiro says he will ask for the item to be deferred until the commission's next meeting on Jan. 22 "so everyone can have enough time to review and analyze the whole package," Barreiro said. "Even if it gets ready by Thursday, there definitely won't be enough time to review it," he said. "I don't want to take a blind vote." After all, the city commission was criticized for voting on the "interlocal agreement" -- that paves the way for the ballpark funding -- only hours after having first been presented with it, the evening before their commission meeting. That agreement expands the boundaries and extends the life of Miami's Community Redevelopment Agencies to raise millions of dollars for projects in the city. The commission delayed a vote on the $525 million ballpark agreement last month to give the sides time to reach an agreement. An earlier draft of the agreement called on the city and county to contribute $370 million in hotel bed and sports facilities taxes and a general obligation bond and for the Marlins to chip in $155 million. Barreiro said he doesn't think the hold up in finishing a Baseball Stadium Agreement is substantive. "I think they?re very close," Barreiro said. "It?s minor details from what I understand, legalities, stuff like that. The stadium itself, I don?t think there?s a lot of big issues." If an agreement is ready in time for the Jan. 22 meeting, the county could vote then followed by the city at its meeting on Jan. 24.