Tax for stadium a strikeout

By a huge majority, Floridians told pollsters they'd oppose using state funds to build a home for baseball's Marlins.

An overwhelming number of Floridians oppose using state tax money to build a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins, according to a Herald/St. Petersburg Times poll

Link????????????

here ya go...

 

care of the miami herald:

 

Posted on Fri, Dec. 05, 2003

Poll: Voters oppose using state funds to build Marlins stadium

Associated Press

 

MIAMI - An overwhelming number of Florida voters oppose using state tax money to help build a new $325 million baseball stadium for the world champion Florida Marlins, a new poll shows.

 

Eighty percent of respondents opposed using state funds to move the Marlins from their current home of Pro Player Stadium, according to the poll for The Miami Herald and the St. Petersburg Times. Just 15 percent were in favor.

 

The Marlins are attempting to cash in on their World Series victory this October to win long-sought taxpayer support for a new stadium. Pro Player was designed for football and the Marlins share the venue with the Miami Dolphins.

 

The Marlins promised to commit $137 million to the new ballpark's building costs, estimated at $325 million. Miami-Dade County has agreed to kick in $73 million, although Miami Beach said that money should go toward refurbishing its convention center. No plan exists for where the remaining $115 million will come from.

 

Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello said the team wouldn't comment on the poll or Marlins political strategy. However, he said, Marlins President David Samson has made clear "he wouldn't take money away from social services or the school system to pay for a stadium."

 

That leaves only one legislative option for the Marlins: Asking state lawmakers to approve a sales tax rebate based on stadium sales.

 

Such a rebate, based on a team's generating at least $2 million annually in sales tax, exists at seven parks in Florida, including Pro Player, which the Marlins lease. That rebate, however, would only give the Marlins about $60 million.

 

The survey was conducted Dec. 1-3 by the Washington-based Schroth & Associates and The Polling Company. The telephone poll of 800 registered voters had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

 

Meanwhile, Miami-Dade and Miami Beach leaders are feuding over the county's offer to contribute $73 million.

 

Miami Beach Mayor David Dermer contends that the county's offer is not valid because it did not use the proper procedure, so the city should get some of the money for its convention center.

 

But Miami-Dade County Manager George Burgess disagreed, saying the county followed the terms of a 2001 agreement with Miami Beach.

 

Dermer said the city was awaiting the outcome of discussions between Miami Beach City Manager Jorge Gonzalez and Burgess before deciding his next step.

 

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/7422756.htm

According to the Mad Dog who is an anti-ball park hater said he heard from high ranking officials that this deal will get done.Coming from the guy who talks all day about not using tax payers money for private enterprise,tells me that he might be saying the truth.I hope his sources are right and this deal goes through.

Today is a baaad day for the Fish....

It wouldn't be state tax money! The state tells the Marlins to keep $2 million from the many millions the Marlins pay the State of Florida in taxes.

 

The City of Miami Beach and County cannot back out of the deal if the Marlins come through with the funding.

BTW, for those of you who are not familiar, the Dome in St. Pete was built entirely using $200 million in bonds by the City of St. Pete, and the Devil rays used state tax rebates to refurbish it.

How convenient this was left out....the Herald's actual article, the AP story is posted above .

Posted on Fri, Dec. 05, 2003

 

FLORIDA MARLINS

Tax for stadium a strikeout

By a huge majority, Floridians told pollsters they'd oppose using state funds to build a home for baseball's Marlins.

BY MARC CAPUTO

mcaputo@herald.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FLORIDA MARLINS

 

An overwhelming number of Floridians oppose using state tax money to build a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins, according to a Herald/St. Petersburg Times poll.

 

With 80 percent opposed and 15 percent in favor, the tax possibility drew the most negative response in the wide-ranging survey of political opinions.

 

The club is attempting to cash in on its World Series victory this October to win long-sought taxpayer support for a new stadium.

 

Miami-Dade County and Miami Beach are feuding over whether to use county tourist tax dollars for a stadium, and legislators are telling the Marlins that there's no money in the state budget.

 

''Despite this year's World Series championship, the residual bitterness toward [former Marlins owner]Wayne Huizenga for what people perceive to be the selling of the 1997 World Champion Marlins still exists,'' said Kellyanne Conway, whose Washington-based firm, The Polling Company, helped conduct the survey and has polled for Major League Baseball.

 

Marlins spokesman P.J. Loyello said the team wouldn't comment on the poll or Marlins political strategy. However, he said, the club's president has made clear ``he wouldn't take money away from social services or the school system to pay for a stadium.''

 

That leaves only one legislative option for the Marlins: Asking state lawmakers to approve a $2-million-a-year sales tax rebate based on stadium sales. Such a rebate, predicated on a team's generating at least $2 million annually in sales tax, exists at seven parks in Florida, including Pro Player Stadium, which the Marlins lease from Huizenga.

 

That rebate, however, would only give the Marlins about $60 million -- about half of the outstanding $115 million needed to build the $325 million stadium. Miami-Dade County has agreed to kick in $73 million, though Miami Beach says that money should go toward refurbishing its convention center.

 

Rep. Ralph Arza, R-Hialeah, one of the earliest supporters this year of a new Marlins tax rebate, said the poll is misleading in that it asks whether Floridians would support giving tax money away. He said any rebate would be based on the stadium's generating new tax money that otherwise would not exist.

well, what the herald does is take the AP template and make their own modifications. i don't think they did anything sinister there by adding some information that they later found through a telephone interview.

 

but yes, if a poll were 80-15, i'd really want to inspect the way the question was asked, and i'd want to check who exactly was polled.

for all you know they could have polled 100 people in a retirement home in Tice, FL who were on the phone list. Phone polls have always been unreliable and the 3.5% error is not reliable, it should be more like 10% error.

This poll after all comes from the Miami Herald and St. Pete Times. Those two papers are about as reliable as toilet paper.

for all you know they could have polled 100 people in a retirement home in Tice, FL who were on the phone list. Phone polls have always been unreliable and the 3.5% error is not reliable, it should be more like 10% error.

yup... and even if the poll was scientifically accurate in the sense that it polled a good population of people throughout the state, i still don't think it really means a whole lot.

 

most state-funded, region-specific laws would lose big in a statewide poll.

 

if you polled everyone in the state and asked them if miami-dade county should get state money for road improvements or for mass transit, it would easily lose. if you polled the state and asked if the dolphins should get state money (i.e. tax break) for their stadium, it would lose easily. if someone were to ask me if the state should build the magic a new arena, i would certainly vote against it b/c i could care less for the magic.

 

the poll means jack s***. every region of the state has funding earmarked for its specific use. intelligent people understand how government works. what's it to me if the state funds some road construction in arcadia?

 

what i'd prefer would be to conduct a similar poll, with a more clearly worded question, and ask it to registered voters in miami-dade county.

the state isn't really contributing money. dade county is, the state legislators just need to approve the tax rebate for the marlins, which WILL GET DONE. Now we just need to get the rest of the $55 million left in my money meter and private seat licenses, skybox presales, and ads may be the answer.

 

What about a mortgage from Bank of America that just so happens to include naming rights and $55 million/30 years?

This poll after all comes from the Miami Herald and St. Pete Times. Those two papers are about as reliable as toilet paper.

I consider those two newspapers a great way to save money on toilet paper... specially the Sunday Edition. :thumbup

Posted on Tue, Nov. 04, 2003

 

 

TALLAHASSEE

Law would give Marlins tax break for stadium

 

 

 

 

From Herald Wire Services

 

A state lawmaker from Coral Springs has thrown the first pitch in the legislative effort to get tax breaks for a new South Florida baseball stadium.

 

Democratic Rep. Stacy Ritter submitted a proposal to the House's bill-drafting staff last week that seeks to give the Florida Marlins a $2 million annual sales tax-rebate to pay for the ballpark's construction.

 

The tax-break program is in effect at seven arenas and stadiums, including Pro Player Stadium.

 

Ritter expects the staffers at the bill-drafting division to polish up language for a potential bill by the end of the month, when she would decide if she wants to file it as legislation for the session beginning in March.

cape, the $60 million over 30 years won't pay for the stadium in the here-and-now. they will need to find more than $55million.

 

ownership needs to show some creativity and start working with seat licenses, corporate sponsorship, and the like. too bad there is almost zero corporate presence in miami.

 

the county's biggest employer is american airlines, so i wouldn't mind if we had an american airlines field to go along with american airlines arena... although i'm curious what happens to naming rights when the company goes under.

Support Stacy Ritter's (D-Coral Springs) effort!

http://www.myfloridahouse.com/legislatorinfo.aspx?mid=4122

ritter.stacy@myfloridahouse.com

 

She has a republican congressman from Hialeah also working on the bill with her, but she will introduce it due to her committee status.

cape, the $60 million over 30 years won't pay for the stadium in the here-and-now. they will need to find more than $55million.

 

ownership needs to show some creativity and start working with seat licenses, corporate sponsorship, and the like. too bad there is almost zero corporate presence in miami.

 

the county's biggest employer is american airlines, so i wouldn't mind if we had an american airlines field to go along with american airlines arena... although i'm curious what happens to naming rights when the company goes under.

Why did you think I said mortgage?

Ritter's bills

http://www.myfloridahouse.com/BillSearch.a...=All%20Sessions

 

When introduced in the March session, the legislation will be listed here.

although i'm curious what happens to naming rights when the company goes under.

see Pro Player stadium

Thanks for the news CapeFish.

 

This basically means two things:

1. Floridians hate the Marlins more than any of their seven other franchises,

and/or 2. The Miami Herald and St. Petersburg Times un-/knowingly asked the wrong question (Do you want state taxes to go to the Marlins?) to stop the stadium plan.

It is part 2. Rays fans back us a long as they don't see sales tax go up, which they won't.

 

The Herald/St. Pete Times do everything they can to undermine their respective teams. The Tampa Tribune is there to help the D-Rays with objective reporting, but the Marlins alternative of the Sun-Sentinel isn't there anymore.

 

Damn those two liberal rags. The Trib continues to be Florida's best newspaper and best T.V. station (WFLA) in the eyes of the media biz. Watch for their polls for correct measure of feelings in Florida. The Trib is a very reliable paper.

I believe that no government money should be going to these ballparks. Most of them are more than adequate, its just a waste of money.

Yankee Stadium is owned by the City of New York and the Yankees are trying to get the City to build them a new, expensive, retractable roof ballpark.

Yankee Stadium is owned by the City of New York and the Yankees are trying to get the City to build them a new, expensive, retractable roof ballpark.

who says I agree with that? Yankee stadium and Shea are still adequate.

 

And the Jets want a new stadium, and they want the olympics and some superbowl at the stadium, talk about new baseball stadiums ended with Giulliani's term.

 

I don't think the olympics can work out in manhattan...