I believe that probably is the one our favorite :censored owns, so if so then yes. As for the permit, does the attorney who posts here know the law? If so I can try and apply for one, but not being a Miami resident, I don't know if I can!

I'm a Marlins fan(obviously), and I'd like to see things work out so the franchise ultimately stays here in South Florida.

.

.

But let's not be hypocrites here. Braman has a valid point. If you can't agree with that then you're willing to bend the law as it suits your own personal feelings.

.

.

I have no idea why Braman is on this jihad against the Marlins, and I'm not an attorney, so I can't voice a qualified opinion on what the ultimate court ruling and/or commission ruling will be....but Braman does raise a valid issue. His lawsuit is not frivolous or else the judge would have dismissed it today.

i dont see what point he has...we elect officials into office to do our thinking for us...thats the whole point of democracy...imagine if the delegates of the constitution had to go back to each of their respective colonies and have a vote on whether or not they should pass it...lets put it this way...it wouldnt have passed without a doubt in my mind...some things, we leave to those who we give power to

Jimmy....you almost sound like a staunch Republican there. Which I know you're not. What's this about letting our elected officials "do our thinking for us"? You don't question the elected officials in the White House? And democracy and municipal policies in Miami-Dade are, well, ..... :whistle

Don't be a hypocrite and allow your own personal fandom to cloud your judgement of right and wrong. All I'm saying is that if Braman's suit was considered frivolous it would have been ended today. He's questioning the validity of the commissioner's position. Why, I don't know, but he evidently has some valid point, and he's got the right to question the elected officials. Let's see how the case proceeds. As a fan I hope that the case is dismissed or if it reaches trial that the judges rule against him. We'll see.

hey i never said that i dont question our elected officials...hell ill question them every chance i get...but this is a legally done DEAL voted in favor of by the city and the county...with that said, i dont see how braman has an argument with any solid footing...i mean maybe the judge in question here feels there is something worth looking into...but i cant see how or why a judge would jeopardize the agreement which has been in place for several months now

 

braman sucks at life and i highly suggest the people of miami remind him of it everyday until the dumb f*** moves outta town

I believe that the IRAQ adventure is also a legally done deal. :mis2

Let's wait and see. I know a lot more about the IRAQ fiasco than I do about the Marlins stadium deal. I wish the IRAQ tragedy could have it's day in court. I'd love to see Cheney and Co. squirm under the spotlight of a trial. Let's let this Braman thing go on, in the sense of fair play and democracy for all, not just the few who care, specifically Loria and us fans. If it turns out that his case gets dismissed or he loses in court, that's great.

 

You obviously don't know much about either subject, but that's for a different forum. Braman sucks, this lawsuit is BS, and it is a waste of time and energy for eveyone involved. Does he have a right to do this? I guess anyone that can afford to blow money on lawyers has a right to sue anyone for anything. Does this have any merit? Not a chance.

 

Frivolous: not serious , or appropriate ( as per Random House dictionary)

 

The only reason the judge let this go forward is because of political correctness. He doesn't want to be the judge to throw out a case where it seems that the "voice of the people" isn't heard. Even though the voice of the people is heard on election day. Hopefully the next judge will have the balls to do the right thing and throw this out of court even though it's not the PC thing to do.

 

Everyone from the City, County, and Marlins are moving along as if this is not an issue. I'm sure they all have pretty good lawyers advising them. Do you think that the Marlins front office signs Hanley to a long term deal if they aren't sure the stadium is a done deal? Probably not.

I'm a Marlins fan(obviously), and I'd like to see things work out so the franchise ultimately stays here in South Florida.

.

.

But let's not be hypocrites here. Braman has a valid point. If you can't agree with that then you're willing to bend the law as it suits your own personal feelings.

.

.

I have no idea why Braman is on this jihad against the Marlins, and I'm not an attorney, so I can't voice a qualified opinion on what the ultimate court ruling and/or commission ruling will be....but Braman does raise a valid issue. His lawsuit is not frivolous or else the judge would have dismissed it today.

i dont see what point he has...we elect officials into office to do our thinking for us...thats the whole point of democracy...imagine if the delegates of the constitution had to go back to each of their respective colonies and have a vote on whether or not they should pass it...lets put it this way...it wouldnt have passed without a doubt in my mind...some things, we leave to those who we give power to

Jimmy....you almost sound like a staunch Republican there. Which I know you're not. What's this about letting our elected officials "do our thinking for us"? You don't question the elected officials in the White House? And democracy and municipal policies in Miami-Dade are, well, ..... :whistle

Don't be a hypocrite and allow your own personal fandom to cloud your judgement of right and wrong. All I'm saying is that if Braman's suit was considered frivolous it would have been ended today. He's questioning the validity of the commissioner's position. Why, I don't know, but he evidently has some valid point, and he's got the right to question the elected officials. Let's see how the case proceeds. As a fan I hope that the case is dismissed or if it reaches trial that the judges rule against him. We'll see.

hey i never said that i dont question our elected officials...hell ill question them every chance i get...but this is a legally done DEAL voted in favor of by the city and the county...with that said, i dont see how braman has an argument with any solid footing...i mean maybe the judge in question here feels there is something worth looking into...but i cant see how or why a judge would jeopardize the agreement which has been in place for several months now

 

braman sucks at life and i highly suggest the people of miami remind him of it everyday until the dumb f*** moves outta town

I believe that the IRAQ adventure is also a legally done deal. :mis2

Let's wait and see. I know a lot more about the IRAQ fiasco than I do about the Marlins stadium deal. I wish the IRAQ tragedy could have it's day in court. I'd love to see Cheney and Co. squirm under the spotlight of a trial. Let's let this Braman thing go on, in the sense of fair play and democracy for all, not just the few who care, specifically Loria and us fans. If it turns out that his case gets dismissed or he loses in court, that's great.

 

You obviously don't know much about either subject, but that's for a different forum. Braman sucks, this lawsuit is BS, and it is a waste of time and energy for eveyone involved. Does he have a right to do this? I guess anyone that can afford to blow money on lawyers has a right to sue anyone for anything. Does this have any merit? Not a chance.

 

Frivolous: not serious , or appropriate ( as per Random House dictionary)

 

The only reason the judge let this go forward is because of political correctness. He doesn't want to be the judge to throw out a case where it seems that the "voice of the people" isn't heard. Even though the voice of the people is heard on election day. Hopefully the next judge will have the balls to do the right thing and throw this out of court even though it's not the PC thing to do.

 

Everyone from the City, County, and Marlins are moving along as if this is not an issue. I'm sure they all have pretty good lawyers advising them. Do you think that the Marlins front office signs Hanley to a long term deal if they aren't sure the stadium is a done deal? Probably not.

Thank you Judge Judy, or should I call you Carnac the Magnificent, a psyhcic. You can see into the future, and you're able to read minds. I assume you are an attorney...you seem to know the outcome of the case, and you write eloquently, i.e. Braman sucks, this lawsuit is BS. I don't think the Supreme Court of the USA has ever heard an argument so beautifully crafted.

It's amazing how people's fandom can overcome there overall beliefs. Just go ahead and bend the law, break the law, what do I care as long as I get my stadium..waaahhhhhh.

Now, as I've said, I'm not an attorney, and I am a Marlins fan, and I'd like things to go well. And I think that they will. I think if Braman had a strong case we'd have heard about it. So evidently he does not have a strong case, but the courts have ruled that his points are not frivolous, not a waste of the court's time. This is a democracy and we do live under it's laws. I'm not willing to overlook the law in this case just to get a stadium. I'm not looking for a judge with balls(again, eloquently phrased). I'll take a judge who fairly interprets the law and makes a judgement. What's to worry about in letting things proceed, and the case may go to court, or may be dismissed before then. I'm 100% hoping it gets dismissed before a court case. If it goes to court, I'll be 1000% rooting for Braman to lose.

My grandfather works for the Chairman of the Commissioner's Board of Miami-Dade County and he said this guy has no chance. The county's legal team continually sends them SH*T-loads of documents to Braman's legal team and Braman's lawyers are just swallowing them and not doing anything. They are not sending any to the county's lawyers or changing their legal strategy. For lack of a better phrase, they are, as the Cubans say, "comiendo mierda (eating sh*t - equivalent of 'having a finger up your a$$'). Well if you excuse me I have a flight to catch to Miami. I am moving back!!! LET'S GO FISH!!

My grandfather works for the Chairman of the Commissioner's Board of Miami-Dade County and he said this guy has no chance. The county's legal team continually sends them SH*T-loads of documents to Braman's legal team and Braman's lawyers are just swallowing them and not doing anything. They are not sending any to the county's lawyers or changing their legal strategy. For lack of a better phrase, they are, as the Cubans say, "comiendo mierda (eating sh*t - equivalent of 'having a finger up your a$'). Well if you excuse me I have a flight to catch to Miami. I am moving back!!! LET'S GO FISH!!

 

Well said!

Norman Braman is an a@$%*le!! Period.....

My grandfather works for the Chairman of the Commissioner's Board of Miami-Dade County and he said this guy has no chance. The county's legal team continually sends them SH*T-loads of documents to Braman's legal team and Braman's lawyers are just swallowing them and not doing anything. They are not sending any to the county's lawyers or changing their legal strategy. For lack of a better phrase, they are, as the Cubans say, "comiendo mierda (eating sh*t - equivalent of 'having a finger up your a$'). Well if you excuse me I have a flight to catch to Miami. I am moving back!!! LET'S GO FISH!!

 

Well said!

 

YES!

Norman Braman is an a@$%*le!! Period.....

 

Couldn't have said it better myself!

From today's Sun-Sentinel....

 

Braman just wants public say on Marlins' ballpark

 

Dave Hyde | Sports Columnist

May 25, 2008

 

 

Just so you know that he knows what everyone's thinking, he enters the room and asks before anything else can be said, "Why?"

 

That's what you're wondering about Norman Braman, right?

 

Why is he fighting city hall? Why is he blockading the Marlins' new stadium? Why is this entrepreneur who built himself from nothing, who has made mega-millions from drugstores and cars, who has given $20 million to South Florida philanthropies, who has been friends of Presidents ? who has owned a pro team himself, for heaven's sake ? why is he threatening baseball in South Florida in the twilight of his life?

 

This is where it gets interesting. When it comes baseball, the auto dealer with a bad back throws only fastballs.

 

Dave Hyde Dave Hyde Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

 

"When you sit around and see what's going on under your nose, the same stories of corruption, same stories of bad government ? the constant cost overruns at the (Miami) airport, corruption at the port, $200-million-plus overruns involving the performing arts center ? and then they push through a stadium that's obviously cooked ahead of time with no public notice, it was enough," he says.

 

"Somebody has to stand up and do something. Stop this kind of government. Stop with the idea the taxpayer will do nothing. I went home to my wife the day I heard of this stadium deal and said, 'I'm going to fight this.'

 

"I couldn't sit and tolerate what was going on here. Every day it's something else."

 

Sitting here, in the office of Braman Cadillac in downtown Miami, Braman says he isn't against the stadium or against Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. He knows Loria. They met in the art world. He has been to Loria's New York studio.

 

Why, three years ago Marlins President David Samson called Braman asking him to invest in a share of the Marlins.

 

"I said, 'No,'" says Braman, who used to own the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

Here's what Braman wants: The law to be followed. That's it. He wants everyone to do what's right. He wants elected officials to conduct scheduled and open meetings. He wants the public to vote on any stadium deal. That's the main thing. Let the people vote. He'll live with whatever happens.

 

To this end, he has sued Miami-Dade, pitted himself against stables of political power and thrown himself into a spotlight he says he doesn't want but can't help take on.

 

"I knew I was right when the day I said I was fighting it [Miami mayor] Manny Diaz called asking why I was doing this," Braman said. "He's a friend. Then George Burgess, the county manager, called asking, 'What could I do to make you stop this?'"

 

His voice is even. "I knew then what they were doing was so wrong."

 

Entertaining, isn't it, Broward and Palm Beach taxpayers? Getting a front row seat to a man fight the machine? And knowing your dollars aren't on the line here?

 

The lawsuit's opening pitch is scheduled for July 1. The opening swings began last week with some depositions. Miami-Dade is financing $347 million plus another $35 million loan to the Marlins for the stadium. Here's an excerpt from Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez's at-bat:

 

Q: "Have you ever seen financial statements from the Florida Marlins?"

 

Alvarez: "No, I have not."

 

Q: "Has one ever been requested of the Florida Marlins?"

 

Alvarez: "Not by me."

 

Yet Miami-Dade is counting on the cost over-runs being covered by the Marlins? When the Marlins are such a financial riddle that a few years ago they were calling around for an investor?

 

It's amazing how people tap-dance less under oath. Like that $2.3 million the Marlins supposedly would pay for "rent" every season? Burgess testifies it's not rent at all. It's to pay down that $35 million loan the county is floating the Marlins.

 

Braman fears the stadium and infrastructure won't come in at the proposed price. "It's going to cost $1 billion," he says.

 

He says Denver voters elected to fund their ballpark. He says the Eagles, his old team, put up $310 million for a stadium. He fought the county on publicly funding a Dolphins stadium ? "Joe Robbie paid for it himself," he says ? and fought H. Wayne Huizenga getting a state rebate for his stadium and now is fighting the Marlins' stadium.

 

He's Howard Beale, the TV anchor in Network, opening the window and screaming outside, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

 

I entered this interview in search of one question, the one Braman asked: Why? I left with a different question: How can any reasonable person disagree with his fight?

From today's Sun-Sentinel....

 

Braman just wants public say on Marlins' ballpark

 

Dave Hyde | Sports Columnist

May 25, 2008

 

 

Just so you know that he knows what everyone's thinking, he enters the room and asks before anything else can be said, "Why?"

 

That's what you're wondering about Norman Braman, right?

 

Why is he fighting city hall? Why is he blockading the Marlins' new stadium? Why is this entrepreneur who built himself from nothing, who has made mega-millions from drugstores and cars, who has given $20 million to South Florida philanthropies, who has been friends of Presidents ? who has owned a pro team himself, for heaven's sake ? why is he threatening baseball in South Florida in the twilight of his life?

 

This is where it gets interesting. When it comes baseball, the auto dealer with a bad back throws only fastballs.

 

Dave Hyde Dave Hyde Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

 

"When you sit around and see what's going on under your nose, the same stories of corruption, same stories of bad government ? the constant cost overruns at the (Miami) airport, corruption at the port, $200-million-plus overruns involving the performing arts center ? and then they push through a stadium that's obviously cooked ahead of time with no public notice, it was enough," he says.

 

"Somebody has to stand up and do something. Stop this kind of government. Stop with the idea the taxpayer will do nothing. I went home to my wife the day I heard of this stadium deal and said, 'I'm going to fight this.'

 

"I couldn't sit and tolerate what was going on here. Every day it's something else."

 

Sitting here, in the office of Braman Cadillac in downtown Miami, Braman says he isn't against the stadium or against Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria. He knows Loria. They met in the art world. He has been to Loria's New York studio.

 

Why, three years ago Marlins President David Samson called Braman asking him to invest in a share of the Marlins.

 

"I said, 'No,'" says Braman, who used to own the Philadelphia Eagles.

 

Here's what Braman wants: The law to be followed. That's it. He wants everyone to do what's right. He wants elected officials to conduct scheduled and open meetings. He wants the public to vote on any stadium deal. That's the main thing. Let the people vote. He'll live with whatever happens.

 

To this end, he has sued Miami-Dade, pitted himself against stables of political power and thrown himself into a spotlight he says he doesn't want but can't help take on.

 

"I knew I was right when the day I said I was fighting it [Miami mayor] Manny Diaz called asking why I was doing this," Braman said. "He's a friend. Then George Burgess, the county manager, called asking, 'What could I do to make you stop this?'"

 

His voice is even. "I knew then what they were doing was so wrong."

 

Entertaining, isn't it, Broward and Palm Beach taxpayers? Getting a front row seat to a man fight the machine? And knowing your dollars aren't on the line here?

 

The lawsuit's opening pitch is scheduled for July 1. The opening swings began last week with some depositions. Miami-Dade is financing $347 million plus another $35 million loan to the Marlins for the stadium. Here's an excerpt from Miami-Dade mayor Carlos Alvarez's at-bat:

 

Q: "Have you ever seen financial statements from the Florida Marlins?"

 

Alvarez: "No, I have not."

 

Q: "Has one ever been requested of the Florida Marlins?"

 

Alvarez: "Not by me."

 

Yet Miami-Dade is counting on the cost over-runs being covered by the Marlins? When the Marlins are such a financial riddle that a few years ago they were calling around for an investor?

 

It's amazing how people tap-dance less under oath. Like that $2.3 million the Marlins supposedly would pay for "rent" every season? Burgess testifies it's not rent at all. It's to pay down that $35 million loan the county is floating the Marlins.

 

Braman fears the stadium and infrastructure won't come in at the proposed price. "It's going to cost $1 billion," he says.

 

He says Denver voters elected to fund their ballpark. He says the Eagles, his old team, put up $310 million for a stadium. He fought the county on publicly funding a Dolphins stadium ? "Joe Robbie paid for it himself," he says ? and fought H. Wayne Huizenga getting a state rebate for his stadium and now is fighting the Marlins' stadium.

 

He's Howard Beale, the TV anchor in Network, opening the window and screaming outside, "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

 

I entered this interview in search of one question, the one Braman asked: Why? I left with a different question: How can any reasonable person disagree with his fight?

I have one thing only to say about Bramen...Asshole!

the public voted on the issue when they voted for the representatives that voted on this issue...enough said...done deal...im more concerned whether or not ill look fat in an orange seat as opposed to a green seat for the opening day cameras

Why did this c**t ever leave philadelphia?

Why did this c**t ever leave philadelphia?

He was run out of philly. Consensus of Phil sports fans is that he was the worst owner in the history of all Phil. sports teams.

 

Look, I know who Braman is. He is a very philanthropic man who does not do things anonymously. In the organizations I am involved in, when Norman gives something he believes in he makes demands and expects the credit, even when he is just a part of something. He is a blowhard who does do a lot of good, but is one of those people who also alienates good people who do not want to work with him in a voluntary situation.

So, HYde is enamored with him, I guess I can now go along with marlins2003, Hyde is a jerk (my opinion), not for taking a position but more with the tone of the article. He is elevating Braman to Saint like status. If I was asking the questions, I would also ask him:

1. What happened to the stadium in Phil that he was putting up the money? What does putting up mean-I know that the money was never turned over to anyone for escrow for the stadium-it was just an offer, more like a suggestion. To say he "put up" $310 million is misleading. DID JOHN HENRY BUILD A STADIUM? He offered it-although he never did it. Same here. If he gave the money, why didn't Phil. build it?

 

2. What other areas of expenditures has Norman previously fought against? The airport, the performing arts center? What? Highway overruns? Or is it just sports facilities that he has a thing for? Maybe because things didn't quite go as planned in Philadelphia, he has a thing against governments and sports facilities.

 

Whatever the purpose, I don't know. Braman has been hitting the airwaves with Deforrest on a station most people in Dade County can not hear and since Broward and Palm Beach do not vote or give tax dollars for the stadium, there is no purpose there.

 

Summary, the whole article seems to lack of journalistic integrity and objectivity. Me-oh yea, I am objective.lol

Whatever the purpose, I don't know. Braman has been hitting the airwaves with Deforrest on a station most people in Dade County can not hear and since Broward and Palm Beach do not vote or give tax dollars for the stadium, there is no purpose there.

 

I heard him and I'm in Miami-Dade. In the morning the station comes in fine. At night, not so good.

Whatever the purpose, I don't know. Braman has been hitting the airwaves with Deforrest on a station most people in Dade County can not hear and since Broward and Palm Beach do not vote or give tax dollars for the stadium, there is no purpose there.

 

I heard him and I'm in Miami-Dade. In the morning the station comes in fine. At night, not so good.

I don't get 850, not that it's much of a loss.

Whatever the purpose, I don't know. Braman has been hitting the airwaves with Deforrest on a station most people in Dade County can not hear and since Broward and Palm Beach do not vote or give tax dollars for the stadium, there is no purpose there.

 

I heard him and I'm in Miami-Dade. In the morning the station comes in fine. At night, not so good.

I don't get 850, not that it's much of a loss.

 

I think it's 640. His show is better than Rose or Rosenberg.

he pulling for public voted so hard he will pressure judge to but it vote in nov

Why did this c**t ever leave philadelphia?

He was run out of philly. Consensus of Phil sports fans is that he was the worst owner in the history of all Phil. sports teams.

 

Look, I know who Braman is. He is a very philanthropic man who does not do things anonymously. In the organizations I am involved in, when Norman gives something he believes in he makes demands and expects the credit, even when he is just a part of something. He is a blowhard who does do a lot of good, but is one of those people who also alienates good people who do not want to work with him in a voluntary situation.

So, HYde is enamored with him, I guess I can now go along with marlins2003, Hyde is a jerk (my opinion), not for taking a position but more with the tone of the article. He is elevating Braman to Saint like status. If I was asking the questions, I would also ask him:

1. What happened to the stadium in Phil that he was putting up the money? What does putting up mean-I know that the money was never turned over to anyone for escrow for the stadium-it was just an offer, more like a suggestion. To say he "put up" $310 million is misleading. DID JOHN HENRY BUILD A STADIUM? He offered it-although he never did it. Same here. If he gave the money, why didn't Phil. build it?

 

2. What other areas of expenditures has Norman previously fought against? The airport, the performing arts center? What? Highway overruns? Or is it just sports facilities that he has a thing for? Maybe because things didn't quite go as planned in Philadelphia, he has a thing against governments and sports facilities.

 

Whatever the purpose, I don't know. Braman has been hitting the airwaves with Deforrest on a station most people in Dade County can not hear and since Broward and Palm Beach do not vote or give tax dollars for the stadium, there is no purpose there.

 

Summary, the whole article seems to lack of journalistic integrity and objectivity. Me-oh yea, I am objective.lol

So essentially he's a few steps below Jeffrey Loria, and one or two above H. Wayne Huizenga? :mis2

I guess everyone is entitled to say or do what they want as long as it is legal.

Today's Herald has 3 editorials with Norman Braman, George Burgess and Jorge Perez setting out their respective viewpoints on the downtown debate including the ballpark.

 

NORMAN BRAMAN

Braman: Leaders denying public any say on megadealI strongly object to and filed suit against the Global Agreement because I believe voters have a right to be heard and to vote on $3 billion of grandiose schemes. These deals were negotiated in secret. I also am opposed to public expenditures for privately owned sports businesses. I also believe the agreement violates the law.

 

Moreover, I am very concerned that Miami's and Miami-Dade County's elected and appointed officials waste billions on cost overruns (the Arsht Center for the Performing Arts and Miami International Airport), horrible deals (Jungle Island), fraudulent and corrupt schemes with political insiders (affordable housing, federal oversight), and that they lie to us citizens who pay their salaries and pensions (transportation sales tax).

 

They remain unaccountable for their horrible mismanagement (e.g., the county's $23 million boondoggle high-tech building). They laugh at us, hide behind the mantra of ''voters elected us to make these decisions,'' and have the gall, when caught red-handed, to request more taxes to cover up their failures and unconscionable conduct (Commission Chair Bruno Barreiro wants another half-cent sales tax for transportation and refuses to allow a vote on Commissioner Joe Martinez's resolution to repeal the global agreement). If they were privately employed, they would have been discharged long ago. These officials no longer should be trusted to make major expenditures without voter approval.

 

The global agreement is a prime example of our governments' structuring deals to evade laws that require public votes. It resurrects failed projects and foists them on us by misusing $25 million annually of Omni's tax increment funds -- real-estate taxes that the law requires to be used only to eliminate slum and blight in the Omni Community Redevelopment Area, bounded by Interstate 395 to the south, Northeast 20th Street to the north, Biscayne Bay to the east and the FEC railway tracks to the west -- ostensibly to pay the ''debt service'' of the county's performing arts center bond, but whose funds, in reality, the agreement stated, ``the City and County acknowledge . . . are necessary to provide for the City and County contributions to the Baseball Project.''

 

Then, there's a $1 billion tunnel that neither the port's largest tenants, Carnival and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, nor the truckers want. Truckers say the tunnel's steep grades will be difficult, cause breakdowns and pollution, and will add tolls on top of high fuel costs. (No oversized loads or hazardous materials will be allowed in the tunnel anyway, so trucks will still use city streets.)

 

Remember ''cost overruns?'' My guess is 'you ain't seen nothin' '' until they start digging this tunnel. Without a referendum, the agreement snatches $88 million more of Omni's slum and blight funds by expanding Omni's area to Watson Island (slum and blight where Jungle Island and the Miami Children's Museum exist, and where a $600 million mixed-use and mega-yacht marina is planned?). Who wants it? I'm guessing real-estate developers on the west side of Northeast 2nd Avenue.

 

Additionally, without a public referendum, the agreement grabs about $70 million more of Omni's slum and blight funds for Bicentennial Park (not in the Omni area), and, in another outrageous example of Miami officials conniving to evade a charter-required public vote for leasing waterfront property directly to two museums, uses the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority as an unnecessary (except to get around the law) conduit to ''sublease'' it to them. Are you disgusted yet?

 

Quality of life does not depend on a Major League Baseball stadium for millionaire owners and players at public expense. Yet, notwithstanding our voting for $50 million in 2004 to ''renovate'' the Orange Bowl, the county -- four years later, without a referendum -- is giving that money to the Marlins The county also is loaning the Marlins, up front, $35 million of the $155 million that the Marlins agreed in the agreement to pay (we think, among other things, that this loan violates the Florida constitutional provision against lending public credit to a private entity). I am not anti-Marlins stadium IF the public votes for it. Joe Robbie built Dolphin Stadium without any taxpayer dollars; why can't the Marlins? The Marlins will not even pay one cent of stadium-generated revenue to repay the public's construction, bonding, debt service, infrastructure, or capital-improvement costs. It is a $1 billion subsidy! Yet, none of the government or baseball officials we deposed could cite any study, analysis, or data they had seen prior to executing the agreement that additional jobs would be created, that tourists would come to Little Havana to watch a Major League Baseball game (except All-Star or World Series games), or that positive economic development would result. In fact, every independent study has concluded otherwise. Why not have bonds that will be paid for by the Marlins and thus relieve taxpayers of all of the financial burdens?

 

We are in a recession, and real, hard-working people are being choked by exorbitant food, fuel, insurance costs and real-estate taxes that have increased exponentially. Our local governments have yet to deal with the budget cutbacks, with decreased real-estate values, and are ignoring a coming pension debacle (caused by hiring more and more employees and awarding automatic raises and bonuses). With a scandal a day and officials who are blinded to reality by politics, is it any wonder that more people are escaping our area than are moving here?

 

I think our convention and tourist development taxes would be better used for an expansion of our convention facilities -- owned AND operated by a public entity. Face it: Our existing convention facilities don't attract major conventions and events, but an expanded one could compete for them, and, consequently, would create permanent, full-time jobs that will support a family.

 

Finally, although Miami's city attorney advised its commissioners that they violated Miami's five-day notice ordinance when they approved the Agreement (the agenda listed it only as ``discussion item''), Miami officials refused to call another vote.

 

Guess why? Outraged citizens would flood City Hall to protest this secretly negotiated $3 billion deal that deprived the public of its most precious right: to vote!

 

If you are as outraged as me, write or call your commissioners TODAY and demand that you be allowed to vote on these projects.

 

Norman Braman, president of Braman Enterprises and a 40-year Dade County resident, is suing to block the plan for downtown redevelopment.

Miami Herald - Braman

 

GEORGE BURGESS

Miami-Dade's Burgess: Myths fuel megaplan detractors

In coming weeks, decisions will be made pertaining to a package of projects that have the capacity to change the face of Miami-Dade County and, perhaps more importantly, spur a new era of economic development in our urban core. It is unfortunate that there are a multitude of misconceptions surrounding the construction of a seaport tunnel, a museum complex along Biscayne Bay and a baseball stadium where the Orange Bowl once stood.

 

It is tremendously important that we all understand the facts. Much has been said about the Global Agreement, which was a packaging of these projects for consideration and approval by Miami-Dade County and the city of Miami. Simply put, it proposes that available funds -- monies that cannot be used for other government operations or to lower property taxes -- be leveraged to support projects that have been on the drawing board for years.

 

Myth No. 1: The public was left out of the process. Not true. In 2004, voters overwhelmingly approved many of these projects as part of a General Obligation Bond program (GOB).

 

In the case of the baseball stadium, voters approved spending $50 million for repairs to the Orange Bowl. When costs far exceeded available revenue, and the Hurricanes announced the move to Dolphin Stadium, the city demolished, rather than renovated, the facility. The County Commission held a public hearing and, along with the GOB Citizens' Advisory Committee, approved redirecting bond funds for a new ballpark at the Orange Bowl site.

 

The tunnel -- which has been under discussion for decades -- was also part of the GOB referendum, as were new museum buildings.

 

These projects were approved at an election with the largest voter turnout in Miami-Dade's history and, subsequently, were reviewed repeatedly in public meetings.

 

Myth No. 2: Government is footing the bill for special interests at the expense of the community. The county and city have joined with Major League Baseball to fund a new ballpark. However, it is incorrect to portray this effort as a giveaway. While local government will contribute to the cost -- and own the building -- this facility is an investment in our community.

 

One of the most important roles of government is to invest in facilities that encourage economic growth and contribute to the quality of life for residents -- parks, museums, theaters and sports facilities all fall into this category.

 

For some, going to the theater is what defines urban life; for others, it's a sporting event. Certainly, baseball has played this role in cities across the country. We are investing in a stadium to provide those who enjoy baseball the same opportunity as those who buy tickets to cultural events. Public-private support for a stadium is consistent with how other localities have built similar facilities.

 

Myth No. 3: Capital funds could be used to lower taxes or provide additional services to the needy. Most of the funding for the capital projects referenced in the Global Agreement is restricted by state law. These funds, which include primarily tourist taxes, cannot be transferred for other purposes.

 

Also, the projects are receiving funding from multiple sources. The cost of the tunnel is estimated at $1 billion, with the state paying more than half of the cost. If we do not use the state funding to improve access to our port, these state dollars will likely fund an alternate project elsewhere.

 

Myth No. 4: Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA) serving Omni and Overtown/Park West neighborhoods would be short-changed: One of the biggest beneficiaries of many of the downtown projects is the long-neglected Overtown area. The county and city are joining forces to improve the urban core -- a critical factor in encouraging the revitalization of adjacent neighborhoods. Expanding the CRA boundaries and extending their life span would provide additional dedicated funding for targeted projects in Overtown and other neighborhoods including affordable housing and related infrastructure improvements. None of the CRA funds are directly or indirectly going to support a stadium.

 

Myth No. 5: The timing is wrong with the ongoing economic slowdown and budget constraints. Nothing could be further from the truth. Now is precisely the right time. Job losses in our building industries are a serious concern. The downturn in housing has cost South Florida thousands of jobs.

 

While this market will recover, we need to preserve jobs. Not only will we create employment in the building industry, but improvements, such as the Seaport, support thousands of other jobs. The future growth of international trade depends on moving goods in and out efficiently -- the tunnel is critical to doing so.

 

Additionally, a highly competitive marketplace for construction contracts presents cost-savings opportunities as bids come in at lower labor costs.

 

The Global Agreement is not a single financial package, but rather a series of multigovernment, private-/public-sector initiatives that represent critical investments in our community. While not everyone may agree on each and every project, this comprehensive plan invests in infrastructure vital to future growth and prosperity.

 

And, it comes at a time when our economy needs a jump start.

Miami Herald - Burgess

 

JORGE M. PEREZ

Perez: Megaplan would bring jobs, urban renewal

A new type of urban living is emerging in Miami. Downtown is becoming a place that doesn't shut down at sunset. It is a place where people live, as well as work and play. Lively neighborhoods are emerging along the river, to the south of the Design District, adjacent to the performing arts center and in the Brickell area.

 

Miami is uniquely positioned to grow into a city of enormous international significance -- as a city viewed worldwide as a great place to live, work and play. Yes, today we are challenged by the housing market and an economic slowdown, but, taking a long view, I am only bullish on the future of this community. Our success, however, is tied to having a vision of what we can be and the courage and perseverance to get there. We have an opportunity today to accomplish something perhaps as significant as Henry Flagler bringing the railroad here more than 100 years ago.

 

I am talking about the so-called Global Agreement, the ambitious public-works package that has the capacity to change the face of our urban core and spur a new era of economic development and urban renewal. It is important that everyone in this community understand the magnitude of what is at stake as local government moves forward with a capital program that includes a waterfront park museum complex; sustained, long-term operational support of the new performing arts center; the seaport tunnel under Biscayne Bay; and a baseball stadium where the Orange Bowl once stood.

 

First and foremost, these projects are absolutely essential to rebuilding the heart of the South Florida region, downtown Miami. The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts has already proven its value in remaking downtown as a nighttime destination and has put us in the international spotlight. Nearby, Museum Park is in the design stage. This complex, a new home for an expanded Miami Art Museum and the Miami Science Museum, will not only revive a largely neglected parcel of waterfront property, but will provide a multitude of recreational, cultural and educational opportunities for families.

 

The seaport tunnel is one of the most important capital projects in our county's history. Not only will it improve port access and keep our maritime industry competitive, but diverting truck traffic and improving traffic flow downtown is critical to building a pedestrian-friendly urban center.

 

The county and city have joined with Major League Baseball to fund construction of a new ballpark that has the potential to revitalize the neighborhoods just west of downtown. I applaud this private-public partnership. For some, going to an opera or other theatrical performance is what defines urban life; for others, it's the opportunity to experience a sporting event. The proposed baseball stadium has been discussed since the Marlins won their first World Series in 1997; it is time to move ahead with this project. Great public facilities define a community, whether that facility is a museum, a concert hall, an indoor arena or a ball park.

 

The projects that comprise the county-city agreement also serve another purpose, one that cannot be underestimated -- that is the creation of jobs. All of us in the building professions and trades know that the current marketplace conditions have significantly reduced local employment. Public facilities contribute heavily to our job market, and the new projects will create construction employment opportunities for thousands of residents.

 

Unfortunately, there have been a multitude of misconceptions related to what the media have dubbed the ''megaplan.'' This includes the suggestion that capital funds allocated to the large downtown capital projects could be used to lower taxes or provide services to the needy. In reality, the monies for these projects, which include tourist taxes, bond dollars and state funding, cannot be transferred for other such purposes. The seaport tunnel, for example, is primarily a state-funded project expected to cost $1 billion, with the Florida Department of Transportation committed to paying more than half. The Port of Miami would only have to cover roughly 15 percent of the project's cost and the city of Miami only 5 percent. It would be foolish to turn their offer down only to send the monies to another part of the state.

 

The vision for Miami in the 21st Century should be nothing less than to become a great global city. In coming weeks, the historic roster of projects under the Global Agreement between the county and city will be reviewed, and debated, as proponents seek necessary local governmental approvals. I urge all South Floridians to become educated on an initiative that will define this community for generations to come.

Miami Herald - Perez

Why doesn't Norm Braman just take one of his cars, get on the on-ramp for I-95 North, and not stop until he gets back to Philadelphia?

 

He'd be happier then. And so would we.

So bottom line is, Braman is a complete and utter jackoff! :guillotine

Latest update

Judge says Marlins finances off-limits

 

The Florida Marlins and Miami-Dade County won a slight victory in court Friday when Circuit Court Judge Pedro Echarte Jr. shot down several attempts to get Marlins President David Samson to disclose the ball club's financial picture.

 

The two sides are readying for a July 1 court date, with auto dealer Norman Braman contending the $609 million stadium and parking garage plan -- to be built with almost $500 million of public money -- doesn't benefit the public.

 

On Friday, Braman attorney Bob Martinez tried to get Echarte to compel Samson to answer dozens of questions the Marlins executive had waved off when he was deposed earlier this month.

 

Echarte shot that down, ruling that almost all of Martinez's questions dealing with club finances weren't relevant to the trial.

 

When Martinez tried to get Samson to hand over projections of attendance, the judge questioned whether such figures are paramount to the public purpose of a stadium. ''I just don't see it,'' Echarte said.

 

Both sides will be back in court most of this week setting witness questioning and attempting to narrow the proceedings so the trial doesn't run too long. Echarte said he has vacation plans for most of July.

 

-- CHARLES RABIN

Miami Herald

thats good news... looks like the slight edge goes to the Marlins and Dade-County for now. I really think this case will be thrown out, the question is, how long will that take?

thats good news... looks like the slight edge goes to the Marlins and Dade-County for now. I really think this case will be thrown out, the question is, how long will that take?

 

My guess is 2mins lol!