April 18, 2005
Marlins plans snagged
If you want an object lesson in the many ways that a stadium plan can gang aft aglay, look to Florida, where the Marlins' bid for a $60 million state stadium subsidy has hit another roadblock. Last Wednesday, a key state senate committee had approved the team's subsidy request - along with an extra $1.3 million a year for the Orlando Magic and $1.2 million a year for a NASCAR museum in Daytona Beach - but two days later, House finance committee chair Fred Brummer announced that he wouldn't even put the Marlins' plan to a vote in his committee, a move that would effectively kill the proposal.
"I don't see any reason for it to be heard," Brummer told the Associated Press. "It's got to have something going for it for us to use working family's [sic - doesn't the AP have copy editors?] tax dollars and I've seen nothing in the bill that this is a good use of tax dollars."
As House speaker Allan Bense has said he won't force committee chairs to hear bills over their opposition, Brummer now has effective veto power over the Marlins' stadium bid. There's still another few weeks left in the Florida legislative session, so presumably Brummer will be hearing from team lobbyists eager to find out the price of his vote; maybe he and Sheldon Silver can form a support group.
Posted by: DonK at April 18, 2005 03:35 PM
Posted by: Joel at April 19, 2005 01:22 AM
Posted by: Neil at April 19, 2005 09:14 AM
