Marlins Stadium Update No. 2-2 tie -– City votes deal down… for now
The Miami City Commission deadlocked on 2-2 vote to move forward with a plan to finance a $515 million ballpark for the Marlins, meaning the deal died. (Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, on maternity leave, is absent).
But the commission has just taken a break and team, city, Miami-Dade County and Major League Baseball officials have gone behind closed doors to see if a deal can be salvaged.
Before breaking City Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who along with Commissioner Tomas Regalado opposed the deal, suggested several amendments to revive the deal. He wants the Marlins to cover extra costs on a parking garage the city is to build for $94 million, turn over naming rights dollars to the city and county to service their debt on the project and any profit, if the team is sold, to go to the city and county.
Commission Chairman Joe Sanchez initially seconded the motion, but then decided it would “kill the deal” and rescinded his motion.
At the moment, there is no deal on the table and certainly no need to head to the Miami-Dade County Commission chambers.
When I asked Miami Mayor Manny Diaz, a supporter of the ballpark, what happens now, he smiled and said “We’re taking a 10-minute break.”
As always, stay tuned.
CRAIG DAVIS In more than 33 years at the Sun Sentinel, Craig Davis has written about a wide variety of sports topics from baseball to yachting, fishing to triathlons, and also worked as a copy editor and page designer. Recently he reported on local sports, including running, swimming, cycling, equestrian and beach volleyball. He enjoys sports as a participant as well as a spectator, is active in the South Florida running scene plays in the curling club at Saveology Iceplex. This blog offers a glimpse at the business side of sports in the interest of enhancing enjoyment of the games and sporting options as a spectator as well as a participant.
