Below me is the article that shows what the Dolphins seem to have thier attention on. They want to make thier station look better............... one problem...........if you dont focus on making your team better.......it wont matter.............!!! Dolphins seek cross-county tax support for stadium renovation BY DOUGLAS HANKS crline dhanks@MiamiHerald.com The Miami Dolphins are pushing a change in state law that would let Broward County spend hotel taxes across county lines -- on a $225 million renovation of the team's stadium in Miami-Dade. Dolphins CEO Mike Dee revealed the proposal in a speech before a business group in Miami Wednesday as he touted a funding package that would also use Miami-Dade hotel taxes to both fix up the 1987 stadium and pay for a major renovation of the Miami Beach Convention Center. While the Dolphins have sought Miami-Dade hotel taxes for at least a year, the public bid for taxes in Broward marks an escalation in the team's effort to persuade taxpayers that the stadium is a major economic driver for the region. In outlining a funding plan to the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, Dee launched a campaign that has divided the region's tourism industry. He said top hotels are supporting the plan, while the head of the Greater Miami tourism bureau, William Talbert III, does not. Commissioners in Miami Beach, the region's top tourism destination, are on record opposing public funding for the football stadium. ``We need the support of the community,'' Dee said. If the public decides not to back funding an improved stadium, he added, ``we have to respect that.'' He claimed renovations -- including a partial roof and an extra 3,000 premium seats near the field -- would generate $2.5 billion in economic benefits over the next 30 years, largely thanks to six Super Bowls Dee predicted would be held there. For the first time, Dee also pledged Dolphins financial support for a stadium renovation. Stephen Ross, a billionaire real estate developer, bought the team in 2009. In past public comments, Dee has noted that Ross and former owner Wayne Huizenga spent a combined $300 million fixing up the stadium. ``We need to be a significant contributor to this plan,'' Dee said Wednesday. ``We need to dig deeper.'' In the past, Dee said broadly that Broward would be asked to support a stadium plan. In recent weeks, he has been meeting with hoteliers in Broward and with the county tourism bureau to build support. He said the Dolphins will have a bill filed in Tallahassee that will do two things. First, it would allow the Miami-Dade commission to boost countywide hotel taxes from 6 percent to 7 percent. State law caps hotel taxes statewide at 6 percent. Miami-Dade's extra penny for every dollar earned would then been split between the stadium renovations and the convention center rehab. Second, the law would allow counties to spend hotel taxes across county lines. That would let Broward spend hotel taxes on the stadium renovation. Broward charges hotel guests a 5 percent hotel tax, and it has the authority to raise the levy to six percent without a change in state law. The Dolphins argue the stadium benefits both counties, since it sits a short drive from the Broward line. When the Super Bowl came to Sun Life Stadium last year, it set up its headquarters and media center in Broward County. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/05/2001882/dolphins-seek-cross-county-tax.html#ixzz1ACdayB8P
