Miami Marlins deal has turned Miami into 'ground zero for insurrection against publicly financed stadiums,' NY Times

3/25/13, "Anger in Wake of Marlins’ Stadium Deal Threatens Dolphins’ Renovation Plan," NY Times, Ken Belson

"Carlos Gimenez does not mind being a killjoy when it comes to stadiums. When he was a Miami-Dade County commissioner in 2009, he opposed public financing for the Marlins’ new baseball stadium, a deal considered by many to be one of the worst giveaways in sports. Now the county’s mayor, he is taking a wary approach to a proposal to use $200 million in taxes to help the Dolphins renovate their stadium. 

Never mind that the Dolphins are asking for one-third as much money as the Marlins, and that they promise to pay half the cost. Never mind, too, that the renovations could help the Dolphins land another Super Bowl that could potentially attract hundreds of millions of dollars to South Florida.

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The trouble, Gimenez said, is that voters are still angry that lawmakers agreed to use taxes to pay for three-quarters of the Marlins’ stadium, and that the Marlins and their owner, Jeffrey Loria, repaid the favor by trading away many of their best players within a year of moving into their new home. The deal became so toxic that it prompted the scrutiny of federal regulators and was one reason the previous mayor lost his job. 

“There’s a much more tangible public benefit” to the Dolphins’ proposal, Gimenez said in an interview recently. “But the Marlins’ stadium has created such an adverse appetite for another deal because the Marlins have really poisoned the well.” 

The Marlins’ deal, in fact, has turned Miami into a case study on sports financing and ground zero for an ad hoc insurrection against publicly financed stadiums. The blowback may doom the Dolphins’ bid to host Super Bowl L or LI, too. On May 22, the N.F.L. owners will decide whether the Dolphins or the San Francisco 49ers will host Super Bowl L in 2016; the loser will face the Houston Texans for the right to host the next Super Bowl. 

Ten Super Bowls have been played in Miami, making it the sentimental favorite for the golden anniversary game. But Sun Life Stadium, the 26-year-old home of the Dolphins, is considered antiquated by N.F.L. standards....

In their pitch to persuade the state and the county to pay for half of the $400 million project, the Dolphins have said that the stadium would include a canopy over the fans to protect them from the rain and sun, new seats and video boards and improved concourses. The improvements, they say, would help attract additional college bowl games and create 4,000 new jobs. 

State lawmakers are now considering whether to exempt the Dolphins from $90 million in state income tax over 30 years and permit Miami-Dade County to raise its hotel bed tax by 1 percentage point to cover the balance of the public share of the stadium deal. 

Their plan might have received a warmer welcome if it had not come so soon after the Marlins moved into their stadium and dismantled their team. As of Thursday, the bill still had to pass through two more committees in the state assembly and one more committee in the state senate before it could be brought to the floor for a vote. Gov. Rick Scott has not clearly indicated whether he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk. 

Many local politicians remain skittish about supporting the use of taxes to pay for sports facilities. This month, three state representatives from Miami-Dade wrote in The Miami Herald that the proposed stadium deal was “a trick play” and, referring to the Dolphins’ owner, Stephen Ross, “simply a sham designed to increase Ross’s shareholder value of the Dolphins franchise.” 

Other critics are more strident. Norman Braman, a former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles who lives in Florida and opposed the public financing of the Marlins’ stadium, said that Ross should pay for the renovations because he was the one who would benefit the most from them. 

“If he’s improving his asset, let him pay for it,” Braman said, adding that officials in Miami-Dade should insist that the Dolphins open their books before they consider investing in the team’s stadium. “It’s welfare for a multimillionaire with Loria, and with Ross it’s welfare for billionaires.” 

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Gimenez has insisted that the county not assume any liability for the cost of the renovations, and he has asked several deputies to calculate the public benefits of helping the Dolphins. He has also turned the tables on the N.F.L. by suggesting that he would support a deal only if there were more certainty that Miami would be awarded Super Bowl L, something the league is unlikely to offer. Even assuming the state signs off on a deal, Gimenez must hold a countywide vote on the bed tax hike, something that did not happen when the Marlins’ deal was approved in 2009. The mayor needs at least 45 days to prepare for an election, not including the time it takes the county commissioners to haggle over the language in the referendum....

“One of the reasons people were so against it is because of the bad taste of the Marlins’ deal, and the Dolphins have had a hard time distinguishing themselves from the Marlins,” said Moreno, who added that the Dolphins’ timing was “a train wreck.” 

He also said the team had been heavy-handed in arguing its case. Mike Dee, the club president, was widely criticized for telling Michael Putney, a television reporter in Miami, that “just because someone is wealthy enough doesn’t mean that you should invest money in a way that is unwise.”

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Through a spokesman, Dee declined to comment for this article, citing the continuing negotiations with the county. But the Dolphins have tried to distance themselves from the Marlins. 

“We shouldn’t let the Marlins situation kill the potential for a good deal where at least a majority of the cost is paid from private sources and more than 4,000 local jobs are created,” the Dolphins wrote in a release announcing their plans. 

Given the economics of N.F.L. stadiums, the Dolphins are seeking what their rivals have received. This month, Atlanta promised to pay $200 million toward a new stadium for the Falcons, whose current home is barely two decades old. The Vikings won larger concessions from Minneapolis and Minnesota. New York State and Erie County agreed to pay $95 million to upgrade Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Buffalo Bills’ home. 

The San Diego Chargers, the Jacksonville Jaguars and the St. Louis Rams are seeking new stadiums or renovations, too. 

Critics often argue that taxes should not be used to help private enterprises when governments are having a hard time paying for hospitals, schools and law enforcement. But politicians, chastened by deals like what the Marlins received, are starting to question not just the justification for the financing, but also the need for stadium improvements. 

Gimenez said he wondered whether the lack of a roof at Sun Life Stadium was really what was preventing Miami from landing another title game. After all, he said, the Super Bowl will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey next year."

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