Palm Beach County buys into Super Bowl; at least one pol won't put $$ toward stadium upgrades
The Palm Beach County Tourist Development Council announced plans today for at least 14 events to be held in the county next year in conjunction with the 2010 Super Bowl and Pro Bowl, which will both be played at Dolphin Stadium.
That’s up from the one big festival, Super Clematis By Night, the county hosted prior to the Super Bowl in 2007. That event attracted some 25,000 people, and the Super Bowl, as a whole, accounted for about 6,000 hotel room nights in the county, and pumped more than $42 million into local businesses, TDC officials said. (See photo by PB County's Pat Truscello -- of South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee President Mike Zimmer, County Commissioner Burt Aaronson and TDC Executive Director Roger Amidon)
Even though the poster with the game logos hung up for the press conference fell off the wall during the event, officials remained optimistic. Those figures have warmed the hearts of politicians who are looking for ways to stimulate the local economy. The lineup of Super Bowl -related events kicks off with Super Art & Jazz on the Avenue in Delray Beach on Jan. 28 and includes youth football clinics at four schools. Super Clematis returns on Feb. 4.
"It's going to stimulate the economy in Palm Beach County. That's the most important thing, stimulating the economy," County Commissioner Burt Aaronson said.
But Aaronson wasn’t so bullish when asked if the county would be willing to help pay for renovations at the Dolphin Stadium, which the NFL says are needed to keep it on par with newer, glitzier venues that are scheduled to host future Super Bowls.
“I think the owners of the stadium can improve the stadium and keep on bringing Super Bowls here,” Aaronson said. “They’re the ones that are the greatest beneficiaries of the money that comes here. I think mixing taxpayers dollars for private enterprise only works to a certain extent. But I think the owners of the stadium and the owners of the Dolphins have enough at stake, they will fix it and make it up to standard that the NFL wants If they want to continue having Super Bowls. And I know for a fact they want to continue having Super Bowls. We want to continue having Super Bowls, Miami-Dade and Fort Lauderdale want to continue having Super Bowls. I think everything will work out, without Palm Beach County having to put money into fixing the stadium. And that’s my personal opinion. “
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.
