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Final Miami Baseball Stadium Vote Set For Friday

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The Associated Press

Published: February 12, 2009

MIAMI - For the Florida Marlins, this day has been a long time coming.

The franchise has won two World Series titles since its inaugural season in 1993, but still has no home of its own. Sixteen years after the team's first game, South Florida politicians might be ready to change that.

Miami and Miami-Dade County commissioners are scheduled to cast their final votes Friday on a proposal for a retractable-roof, $515 million stadium in Miami's blighted Little Havana neighborhood. It will be the last step before groundbreaking for the stadium, which is projected to open in 2012.

"I'm always humbly concerned," club president David Samson said of the upcoming vote. "Until the votes actually happen, of course, I'm going to be concerned. But I'm cautiously optimistic. We are in their hands."

The ballpark, which would be on the site of the now-demolished Orange Bowl, is part of a $3 billion public works package that includes a tunnel for the Port of Miami and a downtown trolley line.

County Mayor Carlos Alvarez made another pitch for the stadium during a speech Tuesday. He touted the proposed ballpark as a good use of tourist tax dollars and said it could become the "the envy of the nation."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime, now-or-never issue, concerning the preservation of Major League Baseball in our community," he said in the address. "You all know where I stand. In spite of the economy, we have the financial wherewithal to proceed with this project in a timely and cost-effective manner."

Construction of the proposed 37,000-seat stadium has already been stalled because of a recent court challenge. In late November, however, a Miami-Dade circuit judge ended auto dealer Norman Braman's lawsuit, which questioned the ballpark's financing package. The public would cover $361 million while the Marlins would cover $119 million. The team would also get a $35 million government loan.

Fran Bohnsack, president of Miami's Urban Environment League, said she did not believe taxpayers could foot their portion of the bill in this tough economic climate. Bohnsack, and other members of a group called No Marlins Bailout, plan to attend Friday's meetings.

"I like the Marlins. I like baseball," Bohnsack said. "But I think they should buy their own stadium."

The low-budget Marlins believe a new stadium would lead to more fans in the stands.

They finished 84-77 last season, 7 1/2 games out of first place in the National League East Division, and missed the playoffs. The Marlins have been last or next-to-last in the majors in payroll each of the past three years, and they have regularly ranked last in attendance among 30 Major League Baseball teams. But Samson has said with a retractable-roof, the team would draw bigger crowds during hot, rainy South Florida summers.

"We're pretty confident when people try the ballpark, they will see what it has to offer and how different it is and what a good experience it is," Samson said. "And we think they'll keep coming back."

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