that's really a fantastic post ! ! added to my favourite blogs list..

Reply to first poster: Wheher the stadium gets built or not the school "crisis" (lol crisis) isn't going to change one bit.

Secondly, I don't see why people from Broward and Palm Beach cry so much about Dade counties problems when they don't even live here. As for people from Broward and Palm Beach not attending games in Miami, I say screw yourselves...where are you now that they are at Dolphins Stadium? The Marlins are better off (higher attendance) reaching the larger hispanic community in SW Miami.

Thirdly, it's hard to take your point seriously when you call yourself condoms for Sarah Palin. You also don't need to caps lock "IF YOU CARE ABOUT SCHOOLS". It makes it seem like you are trying to emphasis a weak point and we are all intelligent enough not to fall for that crap.

Peace.

A VERY SERIOUS CONCERN THAT YOU ALL SHOULD HAVE:

Miami and the Dade County School system just this past week are in a major crisis because they have no money and are cutting programs and are in a impasse with shouting matches. And it is all because of budgets and money and whether the school system can continue to operate or not.

And it is under this scenario that the politicians of that city are considering opening up the coffers to give hundreds of millions of dollars so that the Marlins can have a free stadium where no one from Broward or Palm Beach counties will bother to go. IF YOU CARE ABOUT SCHOOLS AND WHETHER THE CHILDREN SHOULD HAVE THE MONEY or it should be GIVEN TO BASEBALL MILLIONAIRES ...... SPEAK UP.

Sell the team to someone who can afford to own a team.

Someone sent me a couple of links to articles that discuss the misconceptions of such use of public funds for building new stadiums for millionaire owners and millionaire players. Take a look at two related articles that SPORTS ILLUSTRATED published recently on this subject and you can see for yourself what has happened recently with similar projects in other cities:

The Links to Sports Illustrated Articles:

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1140877/index.htm

http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1127640/index.htm

The fallacy that a new stadium helps brings many "good" jobs and better economic prosperity to a community seems to be just that, a big fallacy, because after the initial curiosity and novelty wears off in the part of the public, the few jobs that a new stadium brings are temporary, part time and entry level-minimum wage variety. They are not solid middle class building jobs on which someone can support a family.

Lets all go on to something else .This crap is going to get pushed through Banana Republic stlye,just like every thing elese in this town."VIVA MIAMI"IF it works in some third world country in South America, why in the hell wont it work here?

Mr. Ortega made it clear in his story that the financing mechanisim used by the Lauderdale Lakes CRA complied with Strand.
In fact the Court recognized that the funding mechanisim used for our 100% Public Purpose project (Library and Community Center) was not restricded by Strand...this is how we build our schools in Florida.
It is inaccurate to say that the CRA used "another type of financing to avoid a public vote".
The CRA Plan, per Florida Statutes, involved public participation and adoption at a published public hearing and all elements of the project financing were approved at legally noticed Public Hearings.
*Not one word of concern or opposition to the project/financing was spoken at those meetings!

Mr. Ortega made it clear in his story that the financing mechanisim used by the Lauderdale Lakes CRA complied with Strand.
In fact the Court recognized that the funding mechanisim used for our 100% Public Purpose project (Library and Community Center) was not restricded by Strand...this is how we build our schools in Florida.
It is inaccurate to say that the CRA used "another type of financing to avoid a public vote".
The CRA Plan, per Florida Statutes, involved public participation and adoption at a published public hearing and all elements of the project financing were approved at legally noticed Public Hearings.
*Not one word of concern or opposition to the project/financing was spoken at those meetings!

PJK, Nicely done! I was ready to answer the Marlins fans but you took the words out of my mouth. Its nice to see someone that understand the facts writing here. Instead of a blind Marlins fan that just wants me to foot the bill for their little stadium. I am sick and tired of all the excuses about more jobs, help the area, blah, blah! Those are the same BS lines the Marlins are using and it doesnt pass. In the 80's the Miami arena was suppossed to help Overtown which was a huge crack den. Twenty years later it sits empty, we still owe on it and Overtown is a big crack den. I loved going to the Heats games and walking next to the homeless and stepping in urine. Yeah, the arena really saved the area. When the AAA was built, I worked for a radio station that covered the Heat games. So I was familiar with all the arena Employees. I asked them if they were happy about the new arena and how many people they would hire on to staff a bigger building. They said it was the opposite. The new arena had only two more concessions stands so they didnt hire anymore people and would just stretch the staff they had to man the extra two stands. Which meant more work for the employees and longer lines for the fans. I worked the last game at the old Arena and the first game at the new arena. And I didnt see any new employees. Now, Dolphins stadium is a much larger building and if they build this thing it will be much smaller. So will they hire more people or terminate some that arent needed any longer.

The promise of new jobs and helping the area are BS and if you look around the nation you will see many cities that fell for the same promise and are regretting it.

I love this line "WHEN DO MARLINS FANS FINALLY GET TO BREATHE THE SIGN OF RELIEF THAT WE GET TO KEEP OUR BASEBALL TEAM?"

I DONT GIVE A CRAP ABOUT YOUR TEAM!! Why should we pay for it? Whether its tax money, tourist money or whatever. Why should this money be spent to only help a very small percentage of the population that cares about baseball?
While we are at it, why not build a 600 million dollar Ping Pong stadium! Hey I like watching Ping Pong! Why dont we Ping Pong fans get the new shiny stadium? Oh, you say nobody else cares about Ping Pong?

Guess what?

Sean,Dolphin Stadium is in Dade. The "many many jobs" will be the same jobs that leave Dolphin Stadium. It will help the contractors that build it,but using public funds to provide 2 years of construction work isn't a selling point.

There are 2 Arenas within 5 minutes of the proposed stadium site that can be used for Hurricane Relief. Including a vacant Miami Arena that failed to do any of the things the Marlins swear the new stadium will do.
Youre a Marlins fan,so I'm sure youve seen the area around Dolphin Stadium. DS has been there for 21 years. How has it helped the area? A WalMart and a gas station across the street? Is that what a new Marlins Stadium will do for an over crowded Little Havana?
If the City of Miami is hell bent on give aways for people that don't need it,let them donate the Orange Bowl site to WalMart,who can pay to build their store. Build other stores around it and lease them. The City can be the landlord.The community will get NEW jobs,not just jobs moving south from Dolphin Stadium. The same construction jobs will be created.
That will accomplish the same thing without the cost of a new stadium.
The new stadium is about a handout for Loria and kickbacks for city and county officials. There are several ways to benefit the public WITHOUT pissing away all of that money.

Having read Mr. Ortega's piece, the annual debt repayment plan sounds like a great way to go! I now see why the ruling on the stadium serving a public purpose is so vital. If the stadium does serve a public purpose they would qualify for those 1-year loans that could used the same way as the LLCRA plans to. And Braman could do nothing because the law he is using to challenge clearly states it's about bonds LONGER than 1 year.

And the stadium DOES serve a public purpose. Besides providing many many jobs to that community and affordable entertainment (if the Fish Tank style seats are kept), the stadium would be vital in hurricane evacuation as a shelter and base for relief efforts. Dolphin Stadium is in BROWARD County. Having another stadium in DADE would serve similar purposes.

That alone, to me, means it serves a public purpose worthy of public financing.

I'm a little confused though...if the stadium is ruled to serve a public purpose, will the original plan work? I know requiring a vote was already shot down...and if the ruling is that it doesn't serve a public purpose, we couldn't use the 1-years plan anyway.

Thanks again for staying on top of this. I've been able to rely on your blog for the latest update as the Marlins try to fight the final uphill climb to get their very own home.

I really hope that Wayne Huizenga extends the Marlins lease one year.

Because at this rate, we won't get the Stadium open on time, even if Cohen rules in the Marlins favor, which her every delay makes me doubt a little more.

The Marlins might want to join the LLCRA in trying to find another way to do this. Include Norman as a consultant to avoid his wrath again. The old man needs to be quiet, but if he wins this, the Fish don't want to cross him again.

WHEN DO MARLINS FANS FINALLY GET TO BREATHE THE SIGN OF RELIEF THAT WE GET TO KEEP OUR BASEBALL TEAM?