Should Tourist Taxes be raised for the Dolphin Stadium Upgrades?

The Miami Herald reports that Ron Book, a lobbyist for the Dolphins wants to raise the tourist tax to pay for renovations to Land Shark stadium, he says are needed to continue to attract the Super Bowl:

Aiming to raise public dollars to improve their privately-owned stadium, the Miami Dolphins and team backers have hatched a plan: get state legislators to lift the ceiling on Miami-Dade's hotel tax and then ask county commissioners to increase the rate of the so-called bed tax.

Backers of the plan, which has been presented to state legislators in recent weeks, say the move would generate millions of dollars for renovations on the Dolphins' Sun Life Stadium -- along with upgrades of the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Miami Herald: Glenn Garvin against public financing of Dolphin's Stadium.

In a stinging editorial, Glenn Garvin made a case against public financing of the Dolphin's Land Shark Stadium. He said that giving public money to the stadium is welfare for rich people -- the stadium owners:

The conga line for a stadium handout starts with the Estefans, but includes their equally glamorous Dolphins co-owners.

Garvin said about the $460 million income from the Super Bowl:

Without a roof and more luxuriant seats for the pale, tender butts of corporate aristocrats, Ross says, the NFL will stop bringing the Super Bowl to South Florida. And pffft! -- just like that! -- we lose the $460 million that comes with the game.

The problem with that argument is that it's -- how do I put this politely? -- a monstrously bald-faced lie. The economic impact of big one-shot events like Super Bowls is easy to track through sales-tax receipts, and literally dozens of studies have shown that they bring in far, far less than the Dolphins and their local-government toadies are claiming.

(Of course, the Dolphins have a study from a lobbyist company to back up their estimate. Funny how they won't let anybody see it.)

Garvin quotes economist, Philip Porter, from the University of South Florida: ``When we subsidize stadiums, we're giving money to the wealthiest class of people among us.''

Michael Putney asks why should we pay for upgrades to Dolphin Stadium.

In an Op Ed piece today, Michael Putney asks why taxpayers should foot the bill for upgrades to the football stadium. He also answers the question with an excellent list of why we shouldn't:

We've just committed $490 million to a baseball stadium. The public schools have recently taken a multimillion-dollar hit because state tax revenues have dropped again. Jackson Memorial is so broke it can't pay for dialysis treatments for the poor. One in 10 home mortgages is in foreclosure. Unemployment is at a 30-year high. And in this environment taxpayers are supposed to fork over $250 million to bring a football stadium up to NFL standards?

I don't think so.

Informal Herald Poll on Public Money to Renovate Dophin's Stadium.

94% said no to public dollars for renovation of the Marlin's stadium. This is why they won't let it go to a vote. The lobbyists and politicians know how the public feels about using their tax dollars for stadiums.

We will not fund another sports stadium...or will we?

Hear this Rodney Barreto: You might want to find money elsewhere for the make-over of Dolphins Land Shark Stadium. A quick polling of friends of UEL, tells us this scheme to get MORE taxpayer handouts for yet another stadium is not going to fly.

Reprint from the:
South Florida Business Journal - January 6, 2010

Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 5:15pm EST | Modified: Wednesday, January 6, 2010, 5:37pm
Stadium upgrades needed to grab future Super Bowls

South Florida Business Journal - by Bill Frogameni
The Miami Dolphins would like to upgrade their stadium, and taxpayers might help foot the bill.

The Dolphins are set to host a Jan. 7 press conference to discuss renovating the 22-year-old Land Shark Stadium to ensure that the Super Bowl and other large-scale sporting events continue coming to South Florida. The region hosts the Super Bowl on Feb. 7 for a record 10th time.

The stadium upgrades, which would likely include a roof and seating closer to the field, could be partially paid for using public money, said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl XLIV Host Committee.

Barreto, who recently met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and Dolphin’s owner Stephen Ross, said the consensus is that South Florida wouldn’t see another Super Bowl until the stadium gets a makeover.

The NFL wants to avoid fans getting drenched again as was the case when a rainstorm put a damper on the 2007 Super Bowl, he said.

“After halftime, the stadium was kind of empty – and it showed on TV,” Barreto said. “I think that was very displeasing to them.”

Miami lost to New Orleans in its bid to host the 2013 game, he added.

A Dolphins spokesman declined to comment in advance of the press conference.
But, Barreto and others are leaving open the possibility that tapping public money may be one way to upgrade the stadium.

“I think we need to look at all potential options, including the public-private option,” he said. “I think everything should be on the table.”

It’s still an open question where the money would come from and exactly how much would be needed.

Bruce Colan, chairman of the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and a member of the host committee’s executive board, said it would be best not to tap general revenue funds. Tourism bed taxes or creating a special taxation district may better solution, he said. Another possibility is to look to the state, he suggested.

“Over the years, stadiums have been getting better and better,” Colan said. “Our stadium is 22 years old. It’s no longer state of the art.”

But, for those who worry about money being diverted from other key drivers of tourism – such as the Miami Beach Convention Center, which is in the process of renovating – the stadium should not be considered any more important, Colan said.

“[The stadium] is something that is important to the community,” he said. “At the same time, the convention center is very important, and we need to find a way to do both.”


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What is Rodney Barreto Saying? By Urban Legend

During a kickoff luncheon for the Superbowl on Monday, host committee chairman Rodney Barreto hinted that public funds should be used to revamp Land Shark Stadium:

This game's awarded to the community, not the Dolphins, the community needs to come together and ask, Is this important to us?"

Some of us in the community think that money to prop up sports stadiums has gotten out of hand and that enough is enough! For instance, we need to focus on putting money towards unfunded infrastructure and long lasting job creation. Tourist tax money can be used for transportation. It also can be used for creating/renovating a convention center that would bring us more tourists and year-round business. However, the tourist tax money might be tapped out after the Marlin's Stadium sucks it dry. Tourist taxes have dwindled because of the tough economy, yet the County has based withdrawals from it on the forecasts of better years.

The question is, how many stadiums does this community have to subsidize before the people yell "Foul"?