Florida legislature has voted against approving a deal to publicly fund renovations to Sun Life Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins, according to reports. As a result, the Dolphins have cancelled the planned renovations in a move that likely signals the end of their chances to host Super Bowl L.
Dolphins CEO Mike Dee has said the renovations are not possible without a public-private partnership, according to an NFL.com report. Speculation is rising that without improvements, the Dolphins could eventually leave Miami. The franchise is the oldest professional organization in Florida history.
"The Dolphins are one of the only franchises in the NFL that don't have a long-term lease with their community," Dee said. "At some point, somebody's going to buy the franchise from Dolphins owner Stephen Ross), and clearly the stadium is the first thing they would need to address."
Reports say that the Dolphins were not the only team affected by this unapproved bill. The Jacksonville Jaguars, Daytona International Speedway and the city of Orlando, who wanted to lure a Major League Soccer team to the city, were backing a piece of legislature that would allow them to "compete for a share of tax dollars." Will Weatherford, the House Speaker, refused to bring the bill to the floor, however.
"I think part of the complication was the fact that it wasn't just the Dolphins," Weatherford said. "You had five or six different franchises that were looking for a tax rebate, and that's serious public policy. You're talking about hundreds of millions of dollars and I think the House just never got comfortable there when the session ended."
An angry Dee singled out Weatherford, saying, "At the end of the day, this abuse of power, I believe, will follow his career for a long time." Dolphins owner Stephen Ross was even more incensed, being quoted as saying, "He put politics before the people and the 4,000 jobs this project would have created for Miami Dade, and that is just wrong."
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