Several Miami-Dade County Commissioners thrashed on Tuesday the idea of building a ballpark for the Marlins north of the Miami-Dade County Government Center in downtown Miami, and instead suggested an old idea: the Orange Bowl.

With the Hurricanes now seriously considering a move to Dolphin Stadium, commissioners wondered if it didn't make sense to re-consider the Orange Bowl for the Marlins, particularly since voters approved $50 million in county parks money in 2004 to renovate the 71-year-old stadium.

That $50 million was part of the $2.9 billion general obligation bond and was designated for parks and recreation facilities, with the Orange Bowl renovation counting as one of the planned projects.

County commissioners supported pursuing a full funding plan for a "$490 million stadium, but said the government center site is too small and worried about finding a new location for a Children's Courthouse planned at the site. If the Hurricanes were to move, the Orange Bowl could be torn down to make way for a new ballpark and commissioners said that could free up the bond money.

According to the county attorney’s office there are two possibilities if an Orange Bowl renovation is abandoned: the bonds would just not be issued; or the money could be used for another parks and recreational facilities project, but only if a public hearing on the switch is held.

“It could be modified with a public hearing before the commission,” Assistant County Attorney Gerry Heffernan said. “The board [of county commissioners] can decide to reallocate it … but it has to be done in a public hearing.”

Heffernan said the bond project is a 15-year program and there is at least one other example of a use being modified after public debate.

The idea of baseball at the Orange Bowl is nothing new: the city, county and Marlins spent much of 2004 and 2005 negotiating to build a baseball stadium next to the OB. Those talks broke off, but they added to the delay in OB renovations, which UM has been expecting since the Hurricanes won their most recent national championship in 2001. That plan would have required purchasing additional property around the stadium, something that wouldn't be necessary if the OB is torn down.

The Marlins aren't commenting and Major League Baseball was surprised at the commission's discussion of alternative locations. Don't count the downtown location out just yet. If an alternate site is found for the Children's Courthouse and no property tax dollars from the nearby Community Redevelopment Agency district are committed to a ballpark, the government center site might move back to the top of the list of preferred locations. It's a small site, but MLB and the Marlins architects say a 37,000-seat retractable roof ballpark will fit there.

Meanwhile, Miami City Manager Pete Hernandez says the city is still committed to coming up with a financing plan to renovate the Orange Bowl. The City Commission is scheduled to discuss the Marlins ballpark financing plan at its meeting Thursday.

The plan counts on the county contributing $145 million in hotel bed taxes (Convention Development and Professional Sports Facilities Franchises taxes) and the city chipping in $108 million in Tourist Development Taxes and Convention Development taxes that would have otherwise gone to pay off the bonds on Miami Arena, but were freed up with the venue’s sale in 2004.

A detailed financing plan for a ballpark is expected by the end of April -- and so is a decision on whether OB renovations can be funded or if UM will make the move north.