The third time was the charm.
Miami-Dade Commissioners gave yet another sweetheart deal to yet another sports team Tuesday– the second in a month — as they voted 7-4 
to support a plan concocted by Mayor Carlos Gimenez in which the county will pay the billionaire owner of the Miami Dolphins millions of tourist tax dollars for events they would have anyway.
The approval of a “performance-based” bonus system under which owner the team will get a maximum of $5 million a year in payments for events like NCAA games and soccer matches — and, of course, future Super Bowls — means that owner Stephen Ross can now tap into a zero interest loan from the NFL to renovate SunLife Stadium and put a roof on it.
“I want to thank the Board of County Commissioners and Mayor Gimenez for approving this unique and creative plan to bring Super Bowls and other marquee events to Miami-Dade County,” Ross said in a statement.
You can almost hear the “whew.” I mean, this was their hail Mary pass.
The “creative” plan was also the third “best possible deal” that the mayor and Ross came up with to fleece taxpayers. First, they wanted to fund the $350 million project with tourist tax dollars, a plan that was shot down by legislators last year. Then, Ross actually proposed giving the county the run-down facility so he could stop paying about $4 million on taxes (this year, though we know that will go up, especially after the renovations).
This new deal sets up a tier system for what the county and Ross call “marquee event grants” that will not be paid until after said events. Super 
Bowls get $4 million. College football championships $3 million. Playoffs: $2 million. Soccer matches: $750,000.
“If they don’t perform, we don’t pay,” said Commissioner Barbara Jordan, who sponsored the Gimenez item for the mayor.
But really? Really? Isn’t it in their best interest to perform anyway? Who believes that if they had not gotten these public monies, the Dolphins owners would have thrown their hands up in the air and stopped seeking these high profile events? Anyone? Going once. Going twice.
And while the payments won’t start for another 10 years — when the mayor and commissioner are safely away from the dais — the team can start accumulating credits now. They could have a maximum of $30 million in credits in the “bank” by 2024, making them eligible for the full $5 million for the next six years — as they continue to bank more marquee events. The mayor has said that there is no guarantee they will get the funds anyway. Wanna bet?
And Ladra is not the only one who thinks so.
“I do not believe that a gentleman like Mr. Ross gets to where he is today by leaving money on the table,” said Commissioner Esteban Bovo, who ain’t tan bobo after all it seems, and raised the question about the credits that I bet Gimenez wanted to just slide by unnoticed.
Bovo, who was also skeptical about the fact that other events can be added to the tier system in the future, voted against the plan.
“At the end of the day, I think this is a private business,” Bovo said. “Our community has expressed they are not in favor.”
Bovo and Commissioners Xavier “Mayor Sir” Suarez and Juan “Zorro” Zapata said that they would rather see those same bed tax dollars 
used for transportation services, such as the Bay Link light rail connecting to Miami Beach or $500 million in identified and unfunded capital needs for bridges. The other commissioner who voted no was Vice Chair Lynda Bell, who has gotten at least $10,000 in her PAC from the Dolphhins, but she didn’t speak about it. She just voted no because she is facing the roughest re-election of all of them and she just knew this would become an issue in the race. Just like she voted against the Miami Heat deal once she saw they had all the votes they needed to pass.
Zapata smiled at former quarterback Dan Marino and a host of other players who showed up to be cheerleaders — “it’s good to have you in the audience” — but said that while he supported world class cultural and sports events, the infrastructure needs came first.
Suarez noted the $200 million shortfall that Gimenez keeps yelling about between cheering for his favorite lobbyists, er, I mean teams. “This is just not a good moment for this,” Suarez said, adding that he was told 452 positions that may have to be cut from just one department that is $42 million in the hole and the 10% pay cut that employees across the board have been threatened with.
Gimenez said that killing the deal would “not save any jobs this year” since the payments do not kick in until 2024. I guess it’s okay to pass the buck. Literally.
The commissioners who voted in favor gushed about what a great job the mayor did Commissioners Jean Monestime asked what’s the big deal? “We do provide incentives to business owners,” Monestime said, adding that the government of Brazil spent somewhere around $1.3 billion in infrastructure for the World Cup 2014.
Doesn’t he know that Ross is going after state sales tax rebates, perhaps an additional $2-$3 million a year in subsidies?
And I guess his mother never asked little boy Monestime if he’d throw himself off a bridge just ’cause his friends did.
After all, two wrongs don’t make a right.
But two sweet stadium deals do make a pattern.
Stadium score: Mayor Carlos Gimenez, 2; Joe Public, 0 added by Ladra on
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As a Fort Lauderdale resident who travels down to Miami-Dade for sporting events I would like to thank, once again, Miami-Dade residents for providing me the pleasurable amenities that do not come out of my pocket. Beckham is next and I hope you do not let him down because I love soccer.
THE EXTRAORDINARY IGNORANCE AND INCOMPETENCE OF GIMENEZ AND HIS CRONIES WHO SUPPORTED THIS DEAL FOR “BILLIONAIRE STEVE”, IS A CLEAR COMMENTARY ON WHY WE NEED TERM LIMITS COUPLED WITH A SUBSTANTIVE OVERHAUL OF THE COUNTY CHARTER THAT WILL LIMIT HOW AND WHAT THOSE ACTIONS, ACTIVITIES, AND SERVICES ARE, IN WHICH COUNTY GOVERNMENT SHALL BE PERMITTED TO ENGAGE. LEFT TO THE INCOMPETENCE OF THOSE WHO THINKS OF COUNTY GOVERNMENT AS A “PIGGY BANK” FOR THE WEALTHY – ROSS, ARISON, BECKHAM, LAURIA AND THEIR SELF-SERVING ILK – MIAMI-DADE WILL CONTINUE TO SLIDE DOWN THE SLIPPERY SLOPE INTO THE BOTTOMLESS PIT OF “FREE MONEY” DISTRIBUTED AT THE EXPENSE OF EVERY SINGLE TAXPAYER IN MIAMI-DADE.
IN THE FACE OF SUCH RAPE OF THE PUBLIC BY POLITICIANS, THE SILENCE OF CHURCH LEADERS; THE LEGAL PROFESSION; UNIVERSITY PRESIDENTS (WITH THE SOLE EXCEPTION OF EDUARDO PADRON); EDUCATORS; CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE; THE BEACON COUNCIL; THE NEWS MEDIA (PARTICULARLY THE MIAMI HERALD); AND OTHER “LEADERSHIP” INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANIZATIONS IS TRULY DEAFENING! AND WHAT DO WE TELL OUR CHILDREN AND OUR GRANDCHILDREN, WHO WILL BE SADDLED WITH THESE GROSSLY IRRESPONSIBLE DECISIONS, FOR WHICH THEY WILL BE PAYING FOR YEARS TO COME?
[…] committee as well, most notably Freddy Balsera, Chris Korge and Brian May, who apparently holds no grudge against Bell for voting against the sweetheart Miami Dolphins deal he lobbied for on behalf of billionaire Stephen […]
At least with the Marlins we own the stadium, but what do we have from the Dolphins? “I don’t like you” Gimenez thinks he has been elected emperor, remember he was the one that run a around without any cloth. So I say “who took the cloth off”, running around naked is not what the people that voted for you want to see ugggg!
yes, TR, my point exactly, given jordan’s past life as an assistance county manager she is by far the most knowledgeable member of the BCC, fully aware how fungible the tax dollars are, for her to be hitting on that bed-tax-ain’t-really-taxes crack pipe proves the only time anyone downtown ever does the ‘right thing’ is during an election cycle and then only if trailing in the polls.
(and that giant sign the media hung around Bell’s neck “bought and paid for by Stephen Ross” kept her unusally quiet on Tuesday.. Other than her pro forma no vote for the campaign flyers not a peep, even though she was chairing the item..
“Other people’s money” is just re-routed tax dollars. Barbara Jordan is smarter than this.
Barbara Jordan’s “I love spending other People’s Money” should be put on a plaque on County hall. The very heart of the reason billionaires alway come out on top. They are negotiating with their money, commissioners are negotiating with other peoples money.
Monestine must be unaware of various protests and general displeasure with the fact that Brazil spent so much on the world cup.
Monestine must be unaware of various projects and general displeasure with the fact that Brazil spent so much on the world cup.
$40,500 from 19 campaign contributions ($10k to Linda Bell) bought this deal so cheaply for the Dolphin’s owner.
http://www.miamiherald.com/projects/2014/commissioner-campaign-finance/
The county is overextended on the debt service bonds that have been issued. Since the only overseer of our finances seems to be Moody’s, I wonder about their opinion of this steal of a deal?
Broward is once again hysterically laughing at us … they don’t fork over a penny and the teams will be staying at the Westin Diplomat, strolling down Las Olas, …
Here we go again. Our local leadership, with narcissist Mayor Gimenez at the helm, will again find ways to screw us all. The NFL has bullied these clowns into financially supporting the proposed upgrades to Sun Life Stadium. Or face the reality that the Super Bowl will not return to S. Fla. All this because it rained in ONE of the many SBs hosted here since the 60s. So now we need to keep it dry for the fans…really? How did NY get to host the most recent SB in Feb without a roof….does it not rain/sleet/snow in the Big Apple? This is modern day strong arm bribery/prostitution played with fools in politics. But we vote for them regardless.
Moreover, once Mr. Steven Ross’ weak lobbying cries, for tourist tax funding of his stadium’s roof/upgrades, were laughed at Tally…he dug into his own very deep pockets & donated $200 million to his alma mater..Univ of Michigan. Philanthropy maybe…tax savings for sure.
Corporate welfare at its finest ….. Joe Robbie is probably somewhere between heaven or hell where he is wishing these county commissioners being in power back in 1984 when he took several mortgages from a consortium of private banks to build his dream stadium without any taxpayers funds …. While Mr Rose can buy half of our local political leadership through his network of lobbyists, public relations consultants, lawyers, architects, various union groups, and building contractors , etc with their generous political donations to their re-election campaign accounts, PACs , and ECO groups
Who loses in this deal? The taxpayers , citizens , and children who can’t vote in our wonderful local elections run by a qualified election supervisor …. Public services libraries, schools, parks, transit, police and fire will suffer with cutbacks due to limited income streams because we are paying out payment obligations to Mr Ross with interest via special bond issues …. Miami Dade is heading down the same disaster path as the City of Detroit in next decade with Mayor Gimenez’s stadium deals