Dolphin Stadium Improvement Funding Off the Table for Now

The Miami Dolphins are not pursuing funding to renovate Dolphin Stadium. The team owners have decided that with the myriad of economic problems facing Miami Dade County, that this would not be a good time to seek $200 million in tax-backed funds. It is about time they came to this conclusion.

It looks like we have heard the end of the Rodney Barreto pitch for money for the Stadium. The UEL didn't know there was actually a bill set to be filed in Tallahassee that would have set the Miami-Dade hotel taxes "tourist tax" cap 1% higher. We would like to know which legislators were preparing this bill.

The UEL is pleased that this issue is off the table. The priorities of the County and State of Florida should be on more pressing issues.

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.

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"?