January 22, 2009
Another delay for Marlins stadium vote
The city of Miami and Miami-Dade County have put off their vote on final approval of a $515 million stadium for the Florida Marlins, originally scheduled for today, until next month. While AP blames the holiday season and pols' busy schedules around the Presidential inauguration, the Miami Herald smells something (sorry) fishier:
County Commission Chairman Dennis Moss said he won't place a ballpark item on the agenda unless his colleagues have two weeks for a review -- a contrast to the earlier, quick votes that created the funding mechanism for a host of projects that included the stadium.
Critics complained those votes allowed little time for debate. Moss, the recently appointed chair, said he wants to avoid such complaints in considering a special meeting in mid-February.
As of Monday, county and city commissioners had not seen details of the five contracts still to be finalized, though sources said the paperwork was nearly done.
Better late than never, I suppose. The Herald also reveals that the measure requires a two-thirds "supermajority" vote for approval, as the Marlins hired their contractors without going through a public bid process.
—Neil deMause
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