IN MY OPINION
Stadium plan is bad for city
Posted on Sat, Jul. 19, 2008
BY LINDA ROBERTSON
The Marlins have their shovels poised above the dirt the same way a starving man has his fork ready to dig into a heap of rice and beans.
Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria and president David Samson probably even have custom-fitted construction hats for one of those corny ground-breaking photos.
After years of shelved blueprints, a new baseball stadium is so close they can smell the hot dogs grilling.
Then along comes Norman Braman, whose lawsuit declares: ``Let the voters decide.''
What are we to make of Braman, multimillionaire car dealer, former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, arts patron, philanthropist?
Civic guardian or spoilsport? Principled government watchdog or cranky anti-tax zealot?
Braman says his lawsuit against Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami and the Marlins to halt the $3 billion redevelopment megaplan is all about democracy, plain and simple.
'Any use of citizens' money should be decided by the citizens,'' he said Friday after another day in court.
He's right.
But it's much more complicated than that.
JUST SAY NO
Much of the megaplan is great for Miami, a place that has needed visionary leaders but has been shackled by divisive or corrupt ones.
The stadium, however, never should have been included in the plan.
Repeat the mantra: No public funding of homes for privately owned sports franchises.
Especially for one that ranks last in attendance in Major League Baseball.
Year after year, the Marlins have battled fan indifference. They have won two World Series titles, have fielded intriguing teams, have played in a ripe market.
This season, the feisty Fish lead baseball in home runs, yet they sell an average of only 15,029 tickets per game (fewer actual people are in the seats) -- more than 4,000 below the team that is No. 29 on the list, the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Blame the climate: Everyone knew the heat, humidity and summer rains would be a problem., yet MLB put a team here anyway. Blame the dismantling of winning teams to slash the budget. Blame the array of other fun things to do in South Florida (as if Boston and Chicago don't have fun things to do).
The sad fact is, after
15 years, three owners and a parade of entertaining players, baseball has not caught on here.
On the stadium issue, citizens have voted -- at the turnstiles.
Could building a $515 million, retractable-roof stadium on the grave of the Orange Bowl in Little Havana reverse the malaise, inject money into the franchise and mold a consistent contender?
Doubtful, but the point is, nobody knows. It's a $515 million gamble, of which the Marlins are paying one-fifth the cost and reaping 100 percent of the profits in a sweet deal for Loria, a wealthy art dealer.
The Marlins don't help their case by claiming poverty but keeping their books secret.
Please, let's avoid the Field of Dreams cliché. Sure, fans would flock at first. But there is no proof, as MLB president Bob DuPuy has argued, that Miami is a carbon copy of Cleveland, where TV viewership was high but attendance was low until a new stadium created a renaissance.
TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE
The Marlins' site is not ideal, either. It will be a turnoff to Broward and West Palm Beach fans who not only have to drive south but also will face a traffic quagmire.
''The Mets are building their own stadium, as are the Giants and Jets,'' Braman said. ``If Loria wants to use his own dollars, as Joe Robbie did, I have no problem with that.''
Braman even supports public-private funding collaborations, such as the one Jerry Jones won for his new Cowboys stadium -- if they are approved by voters.
Bundling the stadium deal into the megaplan was a mistake. It might have been politically expedient for the mayors with major-league egos who are constantly campaigning to make Miami a ''world-class city,'' but, as Braman says, ``What does a baseball stadium in Little Havana have to do with revitalizing downtown?''
''Los Angeles has survived very well without an NFL franchise,'' Braman said. ``What makes a place a first-class city is its jobs, schools, homes, parks, libraries, healthcare, police protection.''
Braman is not arguing that the tourist-tax money going to the stadium could be used instead on our drowning school system. No one should be confused about that.
The megaplan would increase no one's taxes, but mistrust of local government practically ensures that the plan would be voted down. The airport expansion and performing-arts center were ridiculously over budget. We were hoodwinked on the transit tax and the AmericanAirlines Arena deal. We've been burned by waste and embezzlement.
The Bicentennial Park remake, Overtown redevelopment, port tunnel, trolley and Arsht Center debt payoff have merit. The stadium sticks out like a sore thumb.
Times are hard, yet baseball is awash in cash. People are losing their homes, yet the Marlins want the people's money to build a new one.
Repeat the mantra.
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