Today is the day the City of Miami Commissioners vote on the Marlins Stadium proposal. There has been much drama lately as the deal seemed dead after County Attorney Robert Cuevas deemed it illegal because of the set aside.
Now the Marlins, NAACP, Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce and Latin Builders have somewhat formed an alliance addressing the compact between the Marlins, NAACP and the Chamber. It's likely that alliance will assure that commissioners will support the proposal.
City Commissioner Michelle Spence-Jones' issues of support for Overtown initiatives and jobs for local labor forces is still on the table also. Since her proposal did not explicitly address racial set asides, it may not seem so unpalatable to some folks now.
Anyhoo, when basic issues such as the offer to finance construction on the Miami arena site are discounted without serious consideration and the community's commitment to support the Marlins financially by attending games is not really addressed; the deal just seems suspect at best.
Desperately needed construction-related jobs can be created for projects actually needed in this community; that issue will not be cured by this one project.
There are also financial issues that haven't been hashed out. Discussions have been held with community leaders that may not have included the level of dialogue that would be comforting to taxpayers.
It would be a tremendous surprise if the City Commission votes this down today. Stay tuned.
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