Local 10.com - July 25, 2008

Miami Arena Owner Wants To Build Ballpark On Site
Former Home To Heat, Panthers Vacant Since 2003

POSTED: 4:37 pm EDT July 25, 2008

MIAMI -- The owner of the Miami Arena said he plans to demolish the vacant venue that once served as home to two professional South Florida sports teams. When it's brought down, he wants to build a new baseball stadium for the Florida Marlins on the land, Palm Beach County investor Glenn Straub told Local 10's Michael Putney on Friday.

Straub purchased the Miami Arena from the city of Miami for $28 million in 2004. He wanted to keep the arena open after its last permanent tenant -- the University of Miami men's basketball team -- relocated to the BankUnited Center in 2003.

"Tearing it down serves nobody's purpose," Straub said at the time.

He didn't tear it down but had to fight a long legal battle to become the owner of record. In March, he received a permit to demolish the building.

The permit is only valid for 180 days and is set to expire Sept. 27.

In a phone interview Friday, Straub said the interior of the arena has already been gutted and the building will be imploded in about two weeks.

Straub said he and his partners want to build the long-sought Marlins stadium on the property and will finance it themselves. Straub also said he wants to swap the land for the site of the demolished Orange Bowl because he has plans to develop it.

The announcement comes as plans to construct a new ballpark at the site of the Orange Bowl could be delayed by a legal squabble.

Miami Arena, which opened in 1988 at a cost of $52.5 million, has been vacant since the Hurricanes relocated to their on-campus stadium.

The arena -- sometimes called the "Pink Elephant" -- was built to serve as the original home of the NBA's Miami Heat for the team's first 11-plus years of existence. The NHL's Florida Panthers also played there from 1993-98.

Eventually, the Panthers moved to the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and the Heat moved into the newly constructed American Airlines Arena on Jan. 2, 2000.

Attempts to reach Miami Mayor Manny Diaz about Straub's plans were unsuccessful.

holy smokes, this is getting insane in Miami. I know that everyone in here (the few who are left, anyway) stopped paying attention to the Marlins' situation, but this is a complete 180.

There were rumors about this site, and possibly one or two others nearby, along with Hialeah, but then they gave up on all of them and essentially "split the difference" by going with the Orange Bowl site. Then they demolished the Orange Bowl and threw together this massive proposal which lumped a bunch of other development projects along with the stadium.

Then some hotshot gazillionaire down there (who used to own the Philadelphia Eagles, IIRC) filed all these lawsuits trying to halt construction and force a public vote. Sounded frivolous at first, but now I think it may have some teeth, and may end up getting referred after all (due to judicial interpretations or something).

NOW, this monkey wrench gets thrown in? At the rate they are going, Portland might end up with MLS, MLB, NHL,.... heck, throw in high speed rail... before a replacement stadium is built for the Marlins. This is abso-freakin-lutely nutssssss....

According to my maps, the Miami Arena site is actually closer to downtown and the rail lines than the Orange Bowl site, so it sounds like it might be a better place. Question is, will a baseball stadium fit into the Arena footprint?

And if this all blows up in the Marlins' face, could Loria be looking to move again? How bizarre would that be?