Marlins staying at Dolphins Stadium?

[marlinfan]

  Marlins, Officials Still Haggling Over Stadium Changes

POSTED: 5:53 pm EDT May 31, 2005

MIAMI -- City and county officials along with the Marlins and stadium owner Wayne Huizenga are considering, among other things, the possibility of putting a domed roof on the existing stadium in an attempt to keep the team here.

 

Local 10 has learned that Marlins President David Samson asked the Miami and Miami-Dade County managers last Friday to make up a $30 million stadium funding deficit with still more tourist tax dollars.

The proposal came in the wake of failure by the state legislature to fill a $30-million funding gap for a new stadium and the rejection of a team request for more tourist tax dollars.

With a firm "no" from County Manager George Burgess and Miami City Manager Joe Arriola, and no additional money available from the Marlins, Local 10 has now learned that another proposal has resurfaced from Dolphins Stadium owner Wayne Huizenga.

Local 10's sources say the deal calls for the $138 million in tourist tax money already committed for a new stadium to be spent for a roof on Dolphins Stadium; the Marlins would play in the stadium rent free; and for the first time, the Marlins would get revenue from concessions and from sky boxes and club seats.

The county would also get some kind of ownership or management contract with the stadium for Marlins baseball. Huizenga would still control all revenues from the Dolphins and would be guaranteed a consistent fan base for his proposed $300-million "super site" entertainment complex, to be built adjacent to the stadium.

At this point, there is still no real commitment of any kind.

For the record, even though it seems unlikely, Burgess told Local 10 he is still trying to put together a deal for a stadium next to the Orange Bowl.

A new deal at Dolphins Stadium is more likely to succeed, according to Local 10's Michael Putney, who has closely followed the developments. While the Marlins owners have always insisted they want their own stadium, Putney says they might have to settle for a better deal at the one where they now play.

Major league baseball has given all the parties an ultimatum that a deal has to be done by June 9.

Copyright 2005 by Local10.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

This deal includes a roof. Wayne has finally cracked. No deal involving DS has EVER included free rent and 100% control of revenue from skyboxes and parking. If the Orange Bowl deal isn't completed and I were the Marlins I'd take this deal in a heartbeat.

[NJTank]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Dolphisn cant have a dome please let the damn Marlins get their own stadium for cyring out loud.

[marlinfan]

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The Dolphisn cant have a dome please let the damn Marlins get their own stadium for cyring out loud.

Don't worry it would be retractable.

No way in hell they would build a dome with the beautiful weather in South Florida during the football season.

[NJTank]

Still I like seeing them play in rain.

[Puckguy14]

There's nothing better than that annual mud bowl the Phins always have. I remember the classic one when Joe Robbie Stadium opened up. And the wind bowl the Opening Weekend last year, and the "playing in a hurricane" game vs. PIT last year.

[Gamingboy]

I had heard the Phins were wanting a retractable roof anyway.

[MadmanLA]

While I'm one of those people that think taxpayer/public money should go to better use than to subsidize a professional sports franchise, the Marlins do need their ballpark. Not living in South Florida, I have been reading about the stadium situation for the Marlins, which has seemed to go on since the franchise first got there. My idea has always been to return Dolphin Stadium to a football-only status, and since you have the Orange Bowl game already there, why not have the University of Miami play their home games there too. Then, they could find some sort of way to convert the Orange Bowl Stadium into a baseball-only stadium. That would probably mean tearing some, if not most, of the existing structure. To me it, it would make better sense.

[marlinfan]

While I'm one of those people that think taxpayer/public money should go to better use than to subsidize a professional sports franchise, the Marlins do need their ballpark. Not living in South Florida, I have been reading about the stadium situation for the Marlins, which has seemed to go on since the franchise first got there. My idea has always been to return Dolphin Stadium to a football-only status, and since you have the Orange Bowl game already there, why not have the University of Miami play their home games there too. Then, they could find some sort of way to convert the Orange Bowl Stadium into a baseball-only stadium. That would probably mean tearing some, if not most, of the existing structure. To me it, it would make better sense.

The Hurricanes want their own stadium and know dealing with Wayne isn't the greatest thing you can do. The Orange Bowl is scheduled to go back to the Orange Bowl when the city get it is renovated. They city can't renovate the OB if they don't complete this deal with the Marlins. The city also wants to lure an MLS team to a renovated OB.

The city at one time proposed converting the OB into either a multipurpose facility or a conjoined football/baseball stadium but the ideas didn't fly with the Marlins.

This is what the city of Miami proposed:

[NJTank]

A renovated Orange Bowl and new Baseball stadium will be cool .