As the Marlins' sparkling new ballpark nears completion, the federal investigation into the deal to build it has cast another shadow over the controversial project.
"It bothers me that there is not a more balanced presentation of the issue," said George Burgess, former Miami-Dade County manager.
He helped negotiate the much-criticized deal with the Marlins to build the ballpark, after which Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez was recalled in part because of his support of the construction of the $550 million project.
"I think Mayor Alvarez and Mayor Diaz and the manager were willing dupes of this whole thing," said Miami businessman and philanthropist Norman Braman.
NBC Miami asked Burgess why officials didn’t demand to see the team's financial records.
"Oh we did. Make no mistake about it, we did ask to see the team’s financials more than once," said Burgess.
He explained the team wouldn’t provide their financial statements because other teams would see them under Florida’s Sunshine Law, putting them at competitive disadvantage.
So, the county figured the team’s financial health in other ways such as attendance and other revenue streams, and they concluded that a 70 percent public to 30 percent private split of expenses was appropriate.
"The 70/30 split is very consistent. We did not raise a tax. We did not raise a fee. We did not impose a new tax or a new fee, which is quite positive compared to other communities which build these kinds of sports facilities. We did it with existing revenue," Burgess said.
For the stadium, $50 million came from bonds issued to renovate the Orange Bowl Stadium which was torn down to make way for the new one.
Burgess said taxes paid only by tourists visiting Miami-Dade hotels called the professional sports franchise facilities tax paid for the rest.
"We were able to get the project awarded at the perfect time and we got some incredibly good pricing. We saved millions of dollars by timing this project the way we did. Its on schedule and under budget,” Burgess said.
Burgess added that if he had to do the whole deal over, he would do it the exact same way.
