Posted March 7, 200519 yr comment_446643 link Poll says most voters oppose Marlins tax break for new stadium By Linda Kleindienst and Sarah Talalay Staff Writers Posted March 7 2005 The idea of giving any tax break to help the Florida Marlins build a new stadium in downtown Miami rankles voters across the state -- even in South Florida, according to a new statewide poll. In a survey of 600 voters taken for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Florida Times-Union, an overwhelming majority -- 82 percent statewide and 82 percent in the Marlins' home turf -- said they oppose any state sales tax rebate to help the team. Men and women are equally opposed, as are Democrats, Republicans and political independents, even knowing the team will have to leave its present home in Dolphins Stadium after the 2010 season. The survey, conducted Feb. 24-28 by the Maryland-based Research 2000 organization, revealed that only voters in the Tampa area are more opposed than those in South Florida. The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus 4 percentage points. Ironically, this is the first year out of the last several that the legislative leadership and Gov. Jeb Bush have promised to keep an open mind. And this is the first year the team's supporters will approach the Legislature with a coordinated plan to finance and build the stadium they hope to open in 2008. "I think this is the best effort they've put forth. And I've seen four of them," said Rep. Marco Rubio, R-West Miami, who plans to help champion the plan during the legislative session, which begins on Tuesday. House Speaker Allan Bense, R-Panama City, agreed that having the sales pitch come from local government -- not the team -- could be a plus this year. "I respect the leadership down here," Bense said during a Friday trip to Miami. "It certainly helps." But several legislators from Broward and Palm Beach counties say their offices have been flooded with calls from baseball fans who don't want to drive to downtown Miami for a game and oppose any state help for the team. State Rep. Susan Bucher, D-Royal Palm Beach, the chairwoman of the Palm Beach County legislative delegation, has even filed a proposal to take away many of the existing sports-related tax breaks, including those for the World Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, spring training facilities and professional sports teams, and put the money into health care programs for the needy. Within the past two weeks, the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County, which would own the stadium, have signed off on an almost $420 million financing plan for a ballpark east of the Orange Bowl. The proposal calls for $138 million in bed taxes from the county, $28 million in tourist development taxes from the city and $192 million in mostly rent payments from the Marlins. A $32 million parking garage would be self-financed by parking fees. The remaining $30 million gap would be covered with the state money. But since that debt would be paid off with interest at $2 million a year over a 30-year period, the total state sales tax rebate cost would be $60 million. That angers Susan Scipioni of Key Biscayne. Her children attend local public schools and she told pollsters she is adamantly opposed to the rebate plan. "I think education is more important, especially here in Miami-Dade," she said. "We need to help our children more than we should help the Marlins." But the poll results did little to dampen the spirits of those who support the stadium idea. They say the tax reboate would be on sales taxes collected within the new stadium -- money the state wouldn't get without a new facility. "If there's no stadium, there's no taxes anyway," said Miami City Manager Joe Arriola. He said the sales tax projections are higher than $2 million. City and county officials are expected to begin their lobbying push Wednesday with a trip to Tallahassee to visit with Miami-Dade legislators and legislative leaders. Tallahassee Bureau Chief Linda Kleindienst can be reached at lkleindienst @sun-sentinel.com or 850-224-6214. These polls are really starting to annoy me. Why is this even a news story? You can make a poll say whatever you want, but what's worse is that people responding to them clearly don't understand the issues or what the tax rebate is. The woman complaining about schools is the perfect example. The money going toward the stadium isn't coming from money that can go toward education. Then there is the part about people in Palm Beach and Broward complaining to their reps about the location. Nobody in those counties were willing to help build a stadium and now they are complaining because it's too far from them? You can't have it both ways. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/25710-sun-sentinel-poll/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 7, 200519 yr comment_446644 The real idiots are the people from broward and palm beach that are writing letters to tallahassee sayign they are marlins fans but dont want to drive to miami to see the team. What these intellectual lightweights dont understand is that if the marlins dont get the stadium in miami, its a much longer drive to las vegas for a broward or plam beach resident. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/25710-sun-sentinel-poll/?&do=findComment&comment=446644 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 9, 200519 yr comment_446645 This really sucks. 80% of the marlins fans come from Broward county, where are they building the stadium? In Miami- Dade county! What is with these polls. They will call someone up in Polk county and say 'would you support tax money of a new Malrlins stadium, what do you think their gonna say! The worst part is the baseball fans downhere, they want a baseball team but don't want to have to pay for it, isn't tthat stupid! Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/25710-sun-sentinel-poll/?&do=findComment&comment=446645 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 9, 200519 yr comment_446646 This really sucks. 80% of the marlins fans come from Broward county, where are they building the stadium? In Miami- Dade county! If I lived in Broward, I wouldn't care. Like Cangelosi said, Las Vegas is MUCH farther than Miami Dade is to Broward. I'd rather drive a little bit farther south to watch my team than board an airplane and fly across the country. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/25710-sun-sentinel-poll/?&do=findComment&comment=446646 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 9, 200519 yr comment_446647 This really sucks. 80% of the marlins fans come from Broward county 706217[/snapback] Yeah right. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/25710-sun-sentinel-poll/?&do=findComment&comment=446647 Share on other sites More sharing options...
March 10, 200519 yr comment_446648 This really sucks. 80% of the marlins fans come from Broward county, where are they building the stadium? In Miami- Dade county! What is with these polls. They will call someone up in Polk county and say 'would you support tax money of a new Malrlins stadium, what do you think their gonna say! The worst part is the baseball fans downhere, they want a baseball team but don't want to have to pay for it, isn't tthat stupid! 706217[/snapback] The polls are of all of florida not just south florida, even though the isolated numbers are similar. Link to comment https://www.marlinsbaseball.com/topic/25710-sun-sentinel-poll/?&do=findComment&comment=446648 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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