A quick update on what just transpired at the Miami Beach Commission special meeting regarding the CDT (Convention Development Tax) money that the County would like to use towards a new baseball stadium.

 

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the City of Miami Beach wants that $50 million.

 

The City trotted out County Commissioner Bruno Barriero and State Rep Dan Gelber who said they will do everything in their power to keep the money in Miami Beach. Gelber's read is that the State legislature will support the City and not the County, i.e., the Marlins.

 

In the audience were many reporters including Greta Milberg and Michael Putney from Ch 10 who you can expect will report negatively tonight on the news regarding using this $$$ for baseball. Milberg's husband is a powerful behind the scenes force in Miami Beach. Losing the $50M is bad for Greta's husband. Putney is a longstanding foe of $$$ being used to fund baseball.

 

The bottomline is that the City will do everything they can to hold onto what they perceive as their rightful use of this money, up to and including litigating the issue. Litigation could take years, keeping the $$$ tied up in the courts. They expect to use their paid lobbyists in Tallahassee and their elected reps to quash the will of the County to fund a baseball stadium.

The money doesn't belong to the City of Miami Beach. It is raised from the COUNTY'S Hotel Bed tax and the COUNTY said that if the ballpark wasn't agreed on by Dec. 1st 2003 it would be given to the city of Miami Beach to help fix the Convention Center.

I said it once... and I'll say it again. Miami-Dade County will never be able to build the damn ballpark.

That tax was created to help build a stadium. And now the commisioners of Miami Beach want to ***** like little kids "its ours and you can't have it".

 

 

 

If we lose baseball because of your damn convention center....prepare to be burned down!! :angry

The money doesn't belong to the City of Miami Beach. It is raised from the COUNTY'S Hotel Bed tax and the COUNTY said that if the ballpark wasn't agreed on by Dec. 1st 2003 it would be given to the city of Miami Beach to help fix the Convention Center.

 

Cape, the question IS...what constitutes an "agreement" under the language of the interlocal agreement by the Dec 1, 2003 deadline?

 

Interestingly, the Mayor kept the City Manager from reading the interlocal agreeement into the public record (thus making it public). For whatever reason, when a commissioner asked to have it read to her so refresh her memory, the mayor steered the conversation away from it and it was not read out loud.

 

One can only assume that the language is either vague or ambiguous or does not support the City's position.

Let's relax and see what happens. I heard some pretty strong words from both penellas and Manny Diaz (ie "If we build it will you come?") at the rally celebration. I have a feeling this will get done.

Screw Miami becach convention center...

agreement is what is going to happen at the november 4th county commission meeting. a vote in favor and that is it.

I see a Comerica Park being pulled out if the Marlins can't get all the money. If they fall 50 million short, they just go without the roof. the main thing is having the ballpark and increasing revenues.

The money doesn't belong to the City of Miami Beach. It is raised from the COUNTY'S Hotel Bed tax and the COUNTY said that if the ballpark wasn't agreed on by Dec. 1st 2003 it would be given to the city of Miami Beach to help fix the Convention Center.

 

Cape, in the City's defense they've already been screwed a couple of times on this already. And don't be upset with me, you know I want a baseball stadium alot more than I want to see the convention center upgraded.

 

In the first place you have to understand that the bulk of this tax is collected ON Miami Beach. Something like 83% of it is generated by rooms here. And in order to keep filling those rooms you need to keep the convention center competitive against convention centers elsewhere in the USA. Everytime a plumber's union or Microsoft or the AMA holds a convention two hundred CC's accross the country compete for the event.

 

Second, the City has been waiting and waiting and waiting for these funds to be released and now at the 11th hour, after the City has fronted millions of dollars to keep the CC competitive and to do planning around expansion (because whether we want to admit it or not) until 60 days ago the chances of building a stadium was LESS THAN NIL.

 

Third, the City was scheduled to get this $$$ before and at the last minute the County shifted it to the operahouse/performing arts center now under construction in front of the Miami Herald. The City feels they are forever the bridesmaid and never the bride.

yes, but it a County tax, if the city wanted the money, they should have passed the tax themselves.

yes, but it a County tax, if the city wanted the money, they should have passed the tax themselves.

 

Cities cannot levy taxes unilaterally in Miami-Dade County (or anywhere else in the State I believe).

In the first place you have to understand that the bulk of this tax is collected ON Miami Beach. Something like 83% of it is generated by rooms here. And in order to keep filling those rooms you need to keep the convention center competitive against convention centers elsewhere in the USA. Everytime a plumber's union or Microsoft or the AMA holds a convention two hundred CC's accross the country compete for the event.

Talking about Convention Centers... The city of Orlando just built a close to $700 million CC.

yes, but it a County tax, if the city wanted the money, they should have passed the tax themselves.

 

Cities cannot levy taxes unilaterally in Miami-Dade County (or anywhere else in the State I believe). tell that to the city of tampa or orlando. my taxes here in cape coral went up quite a bit because of new projects.

The Lee County-Fort Myers Harborside Convention Center is going to be redone. The yellow is going away i hope. Miami beach has a nice convocenter. I go to the auto show every couple of years and find it to be more than adequate for most uses of convention.

yes, but it a County tax, if the city wanted the money, they should have passed the tax themselves.

 

Cities cannot levy taxes unilaterally in Miami-Dade County (or anywhere else in the State I believe). tell that to the city of tampa or orlando. my taxes here in cape coral went up quite a bit because of new projects.

Those taxes were probably approved by the State legislature, as was this one.

my point is the city could of had it done like tampa or orlando did to get the money for their convention centers and raymond james.

You're missing the whole point Cape (and others) regarding this. Whether you like it or not the Miami Beach Convention Center is THE driver of all these bed/food and beverage taxes. You bring in an Art Basil show and you fill 20,000 rooms, you bring in a Microsoft (which we had two yrs ago) and every hotel in Dade and Broward are filled. If the CC isn't competitive then you don't collect the tax. You don;t collect the tax then there is no money.

 

What will happen in the end is the County will have to figure out how to deal with both issues simultaneously.

my point is the city could of had it done like tampa or orlando did to get the money for their convention centers and raymond james.

 

Cape, I like you alot, you are as passionate a fan as a team could have but respectfully, you simply do not understand the financial complexities of this situation, nor are you able to think with your head instead of your heart.

 

The Miami Beach Convention Center is tied to the economy of the entire county. The City cannot raise money on their own by taxation. The City cannot, on it's own finance $50 million in bonds without destroying their tax base and their credit rating.

Last time I checked, Jacksonville issued new taxes to pay for bonds for Alltel.

 

The city needs to stop worrying about leeching money from the county and running the convention center for max revenue. they are not going after enough conventions for me/

the city of JAX even tore down toll booths with that tax raising.

 

It was the better jacksonville plan I believe.

And one last thing, I just checked the web, the Orlando and Tampa convention centers were financed with COUNTY APPROVED TAXES, further approved by the State (legislature and signed by the governor).

 

Without doing a Nexis search ($$$) my guess is, cities throughout the state are prohibited from enacting their own development taxes.

Last time I checked, Jacksonville issued new taxes to pay for bonds for Alltel.

 

The city needs to stop worrying about leeching money from the county and running the convention center for max revenue. they are not going after enough conventions for me/

 

 

You, my dear friend, ARE A MAD MAN !!!

jacksonville's duval county is very weak mostly because the city takes up all but %5 of the county and some of a neighboring county. I know the city definitely issued the taxes and bonds in the better JAX plan.

Last time I checked, Jacksonville issued new taxes to pay for bonds for Alltel.

 

The city needs to stop worrying about leeching money from the county and running the convention center for max revenue. they are not going after enough conventions for me/

 

 

You, my dear friend, ARE A MAD MAN !!! if i had a nickel for everytime someone said that i could build the ballpark myself!