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Marlins in Broward?

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By craig

In all of the possible stadium options I have always heard Broward County mentioned, but never seriously.  It seems that has changed.

Pompano Beach, Broward County and Florida Marlins officials have been in discussions for several months about possibly financing a baseball stadium at Pompano Park Harness Track, city officials said Tuesday.

The talks have not yet yielded a completed deal, but Pompano Beach Mayor John Rayson and Broward County Mayor Ben Graber said they are excited about the possibility of bringing the Marlins to Broward

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Both mayors called the discussions "complex" and would not disclose any of the financing details.

"There are possibilities," said Rayson, who has toured the track with representatives of the Marlins and the track's owner, Isle of Capri. He said one possibility is relocating a set of older stables at the track to make way for a stadium.

And that's the rub - the Isle of Capri.  Nothing against the establishment but even if a deal and the financing can be secured, it is not clear that it will pass muster with MLB.

Major League Baseball President Bob DuPuy said he has not been presented with any proposals beyond the Hialeah and Miami plans and that any plan near a gambling venue or that might use gambling revenue for financing would need to be "closely reviewed."

Think of it as the Vegas southeast.  The last thing MLB wants to see is a bunch of photographs of players in the tabloids coming out of a casino after the game.

My guess is the Hialeah deal is still the front runner but up to this point, the funding gap still hasn't been closed.

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