March 07, 2005

Marlins stadium swimming upstream

With friends like these, the Florida Marlins owners don't need enemies: Florida state rep David Simmons has introduced a bill to raise the state's standard tax break for sports teams from $60 million to $99 million, which could derail the Marlins' pitch for a state tax subsidy before it ever gets going. Simmons, who actually introduced the hike in the subsidy cap to benefit the Orlando Magic - who want the extra dough for the new arena they've been after, like, forever - says he'll change the figure if it threatens to harm the Marlins' stadium bid. Still, the mad scramble for subsidies by the Marlins, Magic, NASCAR, and possibly the Tampa Bay Devil Rays isn't going to make it easy to sneak through a small stadium subsidy without raising red flags: Even Gov. Jeb Bush noted astutely that "when you start adding this up, a million here and a million here starts to add up." (Though not as astutely as the original.)

Meanwhile, a new poll of Florida voters finds they're overwhelmingly opposed to tax breaks for the Marlins, by a more than four-to-one margin. Voters in South Florida, where the Marlins play, were among the strongest opponents of stadium subsidies - surpassed only by those in the Tampa area, who presumably know better now.