Published by: The Miami Herald
Published: March 3, 2009
Written by: Jack Dolan and Charles Rabin

Calling the political climate in Miami “toxic” and declaring himself “appalled” by the behavior of other elected officials, Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Alvarez on Monday called for an indefinite delay to voting on the controversial new ballpark for the Florida Marlins.

“The political climate has become toxic and we all need to take a breath,” said an exasperated Alvarez during a news conference at his West Dade office.

He was reacting primarily to a demand late last week from Miami City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones, who has emerged as a crucial swing vote.

Spence-Jones said she wants $500 million for the redevelopment of Overtown “a part of her district ” in exchange for a yes vote on the stadium.

Both the city and county commissions must approve the estimated $634 million stadium, parking and public works project, which relies on public funding for more than 80 percent of the costs.

Spence-Jones said county leaders promised hundreds of millions to redevelop Overtown when the stadium was first proposed as part of a “Global Agreement” in December 2007 — which included a tunnel between the Port of Miami and the MacArthur Causeway, a park near museums destined for the downtown bayfront, and a streetcar system.

“It’s not a new request,&” Spence-Jones said on Monday. “I’m just asking for them to live up to their commitment.”

Spence-Jones’ demand is just the latest in a series of expensive demands inserted into the deal by city commissioners.

At the Feb. 12 city commission meeting, Commissioner Marc Sarnoff shocked the room with a series of new demands, including that local government gets up to 100 percent of profits if Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria sells the team, and the city and county share in revenue from naming rights.

Under the terms of the current deal, the Marlins get to keep all of the revenue from naming rights, ticket sales and concessions at the stadium. If Loria sells the team in the first seven years after ground breaking, the county gets a small cut of the profits.

Sarnoff’s surprise demands cast the Feb. 13 vote into chaos, as he and Commissioner Tomas Regalado deadlocked at 2-2 against Commissioners Joe Sanchez and Angel Gonzalez.

Spence-Jones would have been the tiebreaker, but she missed the meeting on maternity leave. Since then, she has remained silent as stadium watchers speculated which side she might join.

On Friday, she broke her silence with a bombshell: She wants $500 million to redevelop Overtown and a youth camp sponsored by Major League Baseball in the neighborhood.

Spence-Jones expects the money to come from an expansion of the borders — and extension of the life span — of a special taxing district in Overtown, known as a Community Redevelopment Agency. A portion of the property taxes paid in CRAs must stay there to help revive the neglected community.

The idea of expanding the Overtown and neighboring Omni CRAs was the linchpin of Miami Mayor Manny Diaz's and County Manager George Burgess’s Global Agreement.

The duo promised the CRAs would collect up to $3 billion, and promised Spence-Jones that $326 million would remain in Overtown to benefit its residents.

“It’s not a new request, I’m not trying to stop baseball,” said Spence-Jones on Monday, after meeting for several hours with Marlins President David Samson.

The City Commission will vote on several stadium issues Friday. But at least one key vote, which would allow the Marlins to choose the construction firm without a formal bidding process, will be put off to a later date due to public notice requirements.

On Monday, Miami officials could not say when that final vote will occur.

The confusion at City Hall was the last straw for County Mayor Alvarez. County Commission Chairman Dennis Moss agreed to postpone the scheduled Monday vote on the Little Havana stadium until all of the issues are completely settled at City Hall.

“They have to make up their minds whether they want a stadium or not,” Alvarez said on Monday. “It’s right in the middle of their city.”

Alvarez, who has been the stadium's biggest political backer, went on to vent his frustration at the last-minute demands from city leaders.

“Quite frankly, I’m appalled as a citizen of Miami-Dade County,” Alvarez said. He said if his fellow elected officials keep demanding concessions in exchange for their votes, “we will never get any major project done in this community.”

In response to Alvarez, Sarnoff held his own briefing outside City Hall. The commissioner said the mayor was acting like the Marlins’ “good son.”



Back to top