Miami Nights

Should we even be considering funding a brand new baseball stadium where the Orange Bowl now stands? Miami Today News doesn't think so, and I am wholeheartedly against using public funds to build a stadium for a profitable company. The arguments laid out by MTN are astounding, noting the all the additional expenses that the city will incur which are notably not included in the $525 million proposal. How can we pound some common sense into our elected officials? Did they skip finance classes in school or are they just plain stupid? Click here to read the article.

They'll find that no cost is assigned to the Orange Bowl site that will house the ballpark. But experts value the land at about $28 million.

They'll discover that in the deal the Marlins demand free office space within two miles of the stadium - most likely the Brickell area - that would cost government $6 million-plus over the agreement's life. It's not in the $525 million total.

The Marlins also want more than $6 million in tax breaks. If they don't pay the taxes, either government goes short or, more likely, the rest of us pay for them. That's not in the $525 million, either.

About $1 billion to finance bonds to fund the stadium isn't included either. Nor are costs to issue the bonds, reserve money or fund interest during construction.

This always seems to be the answer to Miami's problems, load the additional expense burdens on the tax payer. They won't complain, they will just re-elect these imbecile commissioners. Click here to see the conceptual view of the proposed stadium.