CBS4.com - June 13, 2008

Marlins Stadium Plan May Be In Danger, Again

MIAMI (CBS4) "• It appears that the new Marlins Stadium is headed for a brick wall. The funding no longer has the support of numerous Miami-Dade Commissioners. A key vote later this month could jeopardize baseball in South Florida, and the future of what we knew as the Orange Bowl, of which only a score board is left.

In February Miami-Dade commissioners celebrated a major vote to build the Florida Marlins Baseball team a new stadium. The city, in all the excitement, tore down the landmark Orange Bowl to make room for the $515 million project.

And while the stadium was on the fast track, a lot criticism came in"” even a lawsuit by an auto tycoon who felt voters should have had input.
Now it appears the deal is going to go bust, not because of a court ruling, but by someone who signed off on it.

The stadium deal took nine commissioners votes to pass, and that's exactly what they got. Javier Souto, Carlos Gimenez, Sally Heyman, Katy Sorenson were the only ones against it.

Until now, a fifth commissioner is changing sides, and changing everything.

"If we lose the Marlins, it's not because five people voted no," said Commissioner Joe Martinez. "It's because five people were against using taxpayer dollars to pay for the Marlins stadium."

Martinez is for the stadium, but not the "Global Agreement" that pays for it. In that agreement, we would have to also fund a billion dollar tunnel to the Port of Miami, and spend more than $20 million to landscape new museums"”some of which, in a round about way, would come from tax dollars.

"If the funding stays the same as it is with the Global Agreement I'm going to vote no," said Martinez.

Later this month the commission will vote on key agreements of the stadium deal. With five "no" votes, the stadium will come to a screeching halt.

A lot can happen between now and these key votes that have to happen by July 1st. Other commissioners could change their minds. The mayor and city manager could take the stadium out of the Global Agreement and fund it separately. Marlins President David Sampson was on our air Sunday morning talking about this agreement. They believe that the stadium is separate from the mega-plan, and they plan to continue to press forward.