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County upbeat about stadium funding

 

Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess for the first time presented to commissioners a tentative deal between the city, county and club for a new Florida Marlins stadium.

 

BY MICHAEL VASQUEZ

 

mrvasquez@herald.com

 

 

A tentative baseball stadium funding agreement that increases Miami-Dade County's contribution by $10 million received a cautious but generally positive reception from county commissioners Wednesday in its first public airing.

 

The plan, unveiled by County Manager George Burgess, calls for a $420 million, 38,000-seat retractable-roof stadium to be built next to the Orange Bowl in Miami. The stadium would open in time for the 2008 baseball season.

 

The proposal still has a $30 million funding gap, one the club and local politicians hope to close by getting money from the state.

 

Marlins President David Samson was optimistic a final stadium deal could eventually be reached, and predicted to commissioners that the new venue would routinely host sellout crowds.

 

''South Florida is the most vibrant, diverse, amazing community in the country,'' Samson said. ``The perfect baseball market.''

 

In the weeks leading up to Wednesday's presentation to members of the commission's Intergovernmental, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Committee, Burgess agreed to increase the county's share of the bill by $10 million -- for a total of $138 million in tourist tax dollars.

 

The Marlins have pledged $192 million, with the city of Miami offering $28 million, plus land near the stadium. Parking revenues would contribute $32 million.

 

TOURISM REVENUE

 

Burgess told county commissioners the extra $10 million in county money was made possible by a better than expected tourist season. Commissioners seemed to accept the change -- during a question-and-answer period, no commissioner challenged whether that extra money should go to the Marlins.

 

Later Wednesday, County Commissioner Sally Heyman said the tax money in question is earmarked for large-scale public projects such as sports stadiums and arenas, so it makes sense to give the extra money to the sports franchise she said had the most pressing need -- the Marlins.

 

''The funding for the Florida Marlins is not off the shirts and backs of social services,'' Heyman said.

 

While not opposing an increased contribution, some county commissioners worried the county wasn't adequately protected from cost overruns, and that the Marlins were anticipating unrealistic attendance at their new home, hurting their chances to pay off bonds that make up much of the club's contribution to construction.

 

But these concerns, in general, led commissioners to suggest only minor tinkering with the proposed deal, not abandoning or radically altering it. The Marlins have pledged to cover any cost overruns on the project. Initially, local politicians wanted a letter of credit from the club to back up that promise, but settled for the ability to place a lien on the franchise.

 

''We would be able to foreclose on the club in the event they are unsuccessful in meeting their obligations,'' Burgess said.

 

''I guess I'll be coaching third base or something,'' County Commissioner Carlos Gimenez later joked.

 

City and county leaders also are trying to get Major League Baseball to guarantee providing money toward cost overruns should the club prove unable to do so. That issue is still unresolved.

 

UPCOMING VOTES

 

The Miami City Commission is expected to vote on the stadium deal on Feb. 24, with a County Commission vote scheduled for March 1. There is a good chance the plan will be approved by both.

 

While Wednesday was not a day the county could have signed off on a new stadium, it was certainly a day that the stadium's prospects could have been severely wounded. Had county commissioners taken a hard stance against the current proposal, stadium negotiations might have been delayed until past the beginning of this year's state legislative session, March 8.

 

TAX REBATE

 

The Marlins, which have never had success wooing money from the state Legislature, are trying to convince the state to contribute a $60 million tax rebate over 30 years toward the stadium. Last year, a similar effort failed, in part, because the club did not make its pitch to Tallahassee until well after the legislative session began.

 

This year, the club and local politicians hope to have a tentative agreement approved by both city and county by March 1.

 

Despite some minor unresolved issues at the local level, they will then lobby state lawmakers by saying that missing state money is the only obstacle to making the stadium a reality.

 

Last year, ''They kind of laughed in our faces and sent us home,'' Miami City Manager Joe Arriola said of the reception in Tallahassee. Then he spoke of the state money in a way that is sure to be repeated in the coming months:

 

``That's the last piece. If we can get that last piece, all the other details can be worked out.''

Here is the article from the Ballpark Newspage as well as a video.

http://capefish.blogspot.com/2005/02/count...um-funding.html