Stadium News - Sort of

by craig on Jan 1, 2008 8:14 AM EST in News and Rumors

You remember that part about the County, City and Marlins had worked out a preliminary stadium funding agreement and that it wouldn't require State funding in order to construct a stadium. Well, that may be out the window.

Miami-Dade County wants the state to bankroll more than $250 million in local projects next year and provide the area some sort of break for helping to build a new Florida Marlins stadium.

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The Florida Marlins are also mentioned indirectly in the county agenda.
Commission Chairman Bruno A. Barreiro is asking the state for "a sales tax rebate or similar benefit related to the construction of a publicly-owned stadium for a Major League Baseball franchise in Miami-Dade County," the agenda memo says.

The past requests have been so warmly received, I can't imagine that this one won't also get a similar reception. But there is hope, Miami-Dade is doing the asking as the future stadium owners so it's possible it will carry more clout. The other thing is that the stadium is tied in with so many other projects it might slide through.

I don't know whether this is just a it never hurts to ask and all they can say is no thing or if it doesn't happen the deal is dead. I'm hoping it's the former.

Either way going through the State is going to cost more time.

If that wasn't bad enough, the City is planning on confronting the County about the Crosswinds' Sawyer's Walk development. You remember Sawyer's Walk.

Miami plans to fight Miami-Dade County commissioners' recent moves to take back land given to the city, voting last week to spend $20,000 to hire an attorney.

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Several project proponents pleaded for the commission to take action to keep hold of the land, including Matthew Schwartz, Crosswinds' director of urban development.
"Crosswinds does in no way want to derail the global agreement," he said, but does want to build its project, five years in the works.

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Commissioner Joe Sanchez didn't question the need to work to keep the land -- "this is $12 million already invested and six more, possibly," he said -- but cautioned against attacking the county and jeopardizing the global agreement.

I always love statements that go like this: '...does in no way want to derail the global agreement...but'. The Marlins possible new stadium is a part of the global agreement.

Happy New Year!

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