January 31, 2011
Competing bill would redirect Dolphins roof tax to convention center
The Miami Dolphins' roof-subsidy demands, already facing opposition in the press and from elected officials in Broward County (which would be asked to help pay for the thing, even though it's across the county line in Dade), got another kick in the chops yesterday:
Stuart Blumberg, co-chairman of a Miami Beach committee spearheading the center renovation design, said two state senators have agreed to sponsor a bill that would help fund the center renovation through a hotel tax increase while excluding the Dolphins from any of the money raised.
Blumberg said his proposal, sponsored by Sens. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton, and Rene Garcia, R-Miami, would allow Miami-Dade commissioners to increase a hotel tax, the region's convention development tax, from 3 percent to 4 percent. All the funds raised by the increase would go to the center's renovation, Blumberg said.
Blumberg's bill might not pass either, of course (it still doesn't have a House sponsor), but if nothing else it could siphon off support from hotel operators for the Dolphins bill, which the team was hoping it could piggyback on the convention center renovation, something the hotels actually want. If you're scoring at home, it might be time to downgrade the Dolphins' renovation plans from "doubtful" to "questionable."
