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Broward is hoping to be on the fast track

The possible Pompano Beach site for the stadium is trying to move quickly in order to get the Marlins.

Broward County Mayor Ben Graber said Wednesday he hopes to lure the Florida Marlins to Pompano Beach with a stadium plan he would like to present to county commissioners Oct. 24.

The proposed stadium at Pompano Park Harness Track would be built with money from "a number of different entities," Graber said. He declined to provide financial details but said that he hopes it will become an agenda item at the Oct. 24 meeting.

The Marlins offered no public response, but Hialeah remains the team's top focus at this point as a stadium site, one club official said.

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One concern from the team's perspective: A Pompano Beach stadium puts the team at risk of losing fans from Miami-Dade County. Graber argued that the location between Interstate 95 and Florida's Turnpike "pulls in fans from three counties, not just one."

Pompano Park Harness Track is about 15 miles southwest of Boca Raton, off Atlantic Boulevard and between I-95 and the turnpike.

If you would like see approximately where the site would be located:  Marlins Ballpark News has all the Google Map research.

Even if Browder County and those who are willing to help finance a stadium at the Pompano Beach can get a legitimate deal together, I still think it will have a hard time being approved by MLB.  Especially since the funding will partially come from gambling interest.

Capri officials confirmed Wednesday they have been involved in ''preliminary talks'' with Pompano Beach and the Florida Marlins about building a baseball stadium on the 223-acre site where they expect to open their doors to gamblers early next year.

Personally, I don't have a problem with a casino helping to fund the stadium.  But MLB may see it in a different light.

Could be wrong.  MLB may be so intent in keeping a team in South Florida that they are willing to bend their long standing precedent.  But I doubt it.

The deal isn't formalized and hasn't been presented, so it is all speculation at this point.