Like Ive said, the Marlins are in a much better position than hte Magic. It seems that while we are impressing the state leaders and the governor with a well formulated plan that comes from the city and the state, the Magic having nothing to show and arent even sure they want to renovate.

 

This is looking better everyday for the Marlins and worse everyday for the Magic.

 

 

TALLAHASSEE -- A proposal by a Central Florida lawmaker to earmark millions in state sales taxes to help renovate the Orlando Magic's arena is showing signs that it's dead on arrival.

 

As the second day of the Florida Legislature's regular session ended Wednesday, a request from Miami-Dade County for sales-tax money to help build a new Florida Marlins baseball stadium appeared to muscle its way past the Magic bill by Rep. David Simmons, R-Longwood.

 

Gov. Jeb Bush said the Marlins plan is "really worth considering."

 

Meanwhile, Simmons couldn't find a Central Florida senator to sponsor his bill (HB 1049), which would steer sales taxes to revamp TD Waterhouse Centre.

 

In the end, Sen. Burt Saunders, a Republican from Naples, agreed to sponsor Simmons' measure in the Senate as SB 2642, but he acknowledged that it would be difficult to build support.

 

"It will be an uphill battle because of the issue of a tax break at a time when folks argue that we need every dime we can collect for Medicaid and other issues," Saunders said. "But if we don't do it, they're [the Magic] ultimately going to get a new arena -- just in another state."

 

Fear that the Magic's owners could pull out of Orlando and leave the city without a professional sports franchise has prompted Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer to start looking at ways the arena could be renovated.

 

Dyer could not be reached Wednesday, and a Magic spokesman would not comment on the bill.

 

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty said he isn't surprised that the proposal isn't generating a lot of steam.

 

"I think it's a worthwhile effort," Crotty said. "But when you look at all the mitigating circumstances, it's a tough sell."

 

Simmons said he is confident more lawmakers will warm to his bill, which would increase the amount of state sales tax local governments can tap into for the construction of professional sports facilities from $2 million a year to $3.3 million a year over 30 years.

 

The change would allow the city to spend about $40 million toward construction costs after paying interest and other charges.

 

The city of Orlando never tapped into the sales-tax rebate when it completed the $110 million arena in 1989.

 

Too many people, Simmons said, don't understand that the state money is pocketed by the local government, not sports executives.

 

"We're making capital improvements to the city of Orlando, and so what if it improves the circumstances for the Magic and causes them to want to stay?" Simmons said. "Why wait until it's a full-blown crisis? I think we're at risk [of losing the Magic], and everybody knows we're at risk."

 

But unlike Miami-Dade County, which has a plan along with the city of Miami and Marlins executives for a nearly $420 million stadium, Orlando doesn't have commitments from the county or the Magic about how much each would be willing to spend toward a renovation.

 

Miami officials spent Wednesday in the halls of the Capitol selling their plan that also calls for millions more in bed taxes from the county, tourist-development taxes from the city and rent payments from the Marlins.

 

Bush, who in recent weeks has been cool to the idea of tax breaks that would ultimately aid wealthy sports executives, seemed more interested in the Marlins proposal after he met with Miami-Dade County's mayor, in large part, because the Marlins are putting up some of their own money.

 

"There are some really positive signs to this that didn't exist before," Bush said.

 

Orlando lobbyist Kathy Russell said the city has contacted Magic officials about how much they would be willing to participate in the request for state money and pay toward a renovation.

 

"They're going to have a conversation with [Magic owner] Rich DeVos and get back with us," she said.

 

Saunders also conceded that the Magic would have to come forward with a proposal to be successful.

 

"It's incumbent on the franchise owners to show the Legislature what they're willing to do," he said.

 

 

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/bask...?coll=orl-magic

Orlando backers are trying to combine the ballpark with the Orena bill. Not going to happen.

I've gone from pessimistic to cautiously optimistic.