The Florida Marlins might be a step closer to securing a $60 Million tax break from the Florida Legislature. Local Florida Senate Republicans helped push the measure which would help close the funding gap and would facilitate keeping the Marlins in Miami (Hialeah, whatever.)
All seems well on the outside, until you start to analyze the possible location of the new Marlin’s Stadium. It’s on the edge of civilization, between the man-made lakes and the Everglades; on developer Armando Codina’s newly acquired (and now inside the UDB) land (how convenient.) In other words, this will be South Florida’s second suburban stadium designed for sports that have always been considered Urban games (Office Depot Center, being the first.) Umm, bad idea. If you build it, they will not necessarily come, not if the have to drive 30+ minutes in bumper to bumper, rush hour traffic every evening. This location continues to emphasize what MiamiTransit has spoken about in the past; the continued decentralization of Miami and South Florida. Its bad Urban Planning, plain and simple and we need to put an end to it. There are plenty of suitable locations where underutilized land can be used more efficiently to build the Marlins a new home (Orange Bowl, Miami Arena site, Flagler Dog Track site, Midtown Miami, Overtown, etc.) Plus, these sites would already have the necessary infrastructure to support such a facility and are likely to be near one of the upcoming mass transit projects in the county. Let’s look at the long-term solution rather than the quick fix and let’s plan the solution that will satisfy our community’s needs first…
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