December 16, 200421 yr from the Sun-Sentinel: "Miami Arena sale will help Marlins" Miami Arena sale will help Marlins By Sarah Talalay Staff Writer Posted December 16 2004 The sale of Miami Arena to Palm Beach Polo owner Glenn Straub officially closed Wednesday, paving the way for renovations of the downtown facility and freeing up funding for a new stadium for the Marlins. Straub was the winning bidder in an August auction for the 16-year-old pink arena, agreeing to pay the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority $28 million for the former home of the Miami Heat, Florida Panthers and University of Miami men's basketball team, all of which have moved to new homes. With the sale finalized, Straub has said he is eager to begin renovations, which are to include new luxury boxes closer to the arena floor and upgrades to the building's exterior. Straub said he hopes to attract as many as 105 events to the building, including horse shows and minor league sports. The National Indoor Football League's expansion Miami Morays are scheduled to begin play there in March. "We'll try it for two years," Straub said recently of continuing to run the building as an arena. "We will look at it from that point." The sale also frees up millions of Miami-Dade County hotel bed taxes that were paying for the building's construction debt and maintenance that can now be put toward a stadium for the Marlins. The city, county and Marlins are in the process of negotiating a deal to pay for a $420 million ballpark east of Orange Bowl stadium.
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.