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Marlins May Remain at Dolphins Stadium after 2010

Nothing is official yet, but the wheels seem to be in motion on a number of fronts.  First, the mainly publicly funded new stadium for the Marlins seems to be dying a slow death.  Second Wayne Huizenga seems to be more open now than he was not that long ago about allowing the Marlins to remain in Dolphins Stadium after their lease expires in 2010.

This comes from today's Miami Herald:

Asked last week about speculation that he might be prepared to offer the Marlins a long-term lease that would give them more revenue, Huizenga relayed through his assistant Monday, ''That is correct.'' Huizenga declined to elaborate.

Much of the Marlins dis-satisfaction with Dolphins Stadium stems from the terms of their current lease.  Some of the terms were spelled out in today's paper:
Under terms of the current lease -- which has been in effect since the Marlins came into existence under Huizenga in 1993 -- the team receives 70 percent of concession revenue, 37.5 percent of parking revenue and nothing from the lease of club seats and suites (that money goes toward retiring the stadium debt, through 2016). Dolphins Stadium keeps most of the stadium ad revenue. Marlins president David Samson has called the lease "the single worst in baseball.''

However, Mr. Huizenga has recently hinted that he'd be willing to grant a more favorable lease to the Marlins this time around.  Those of you who are scoring at home might wonder why Wayne would suddenly have such a change of heart.

By 2010, when the new lease goes into effect, Huizenga hopes that Dolphins Stadium will have gone through extensive renovations - including a retractable roof on the stadium as well as a dining and entertainment complex on the grounds.  While those features are far from becoming a reality, assuming that they eventually exist, having the Marlins around would be a boon for Huizenga.  81 home dates would guarantee 81 more days per year with folks walking around his new restaurants, stores, and the like.  Without the Marlins, those 81 days are not likely to produce very much traffic.

So in the new lease more favorable terms for the Marlins could mean more money for the Marlins and for Huizenga.