Billionaire Still Fighting New Fish Stadium

Appeals court to hear arguments against new stadium construction

By Brian Hamacher
|  Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009  |  Updated 10:45 AM EDT
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Billionaire Still Fighting New Fish Stadium

Miami billionaire Norman Braman won't quit in his fight to stop the construction of the new Marlins ballpark.

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Construction workers have already cleared the land and begun construction of the new $600 million Marlins ball park, but eccentric car dealer Norman Braman won't quit in his quest to stop the stadium from being built.

The Third District Court of Appeals will hear oral arguments today as Braman tries to stop construction of the Little Havana ballpark that he doesn't want to see built.

Braman wanted to force a public vote on whether the funds should be used for the stadium, so he sued the county, city and team in 2008.

He lost that argument, but he gets another day in court today before the three-judge panel. Each side will be given 10 minutes to argue its case before the panel at the law school at Florida International University's main campus.

There likely won't be a ruling for several weeks, according to the Miami Herald.

A self-made billionaire, Braman, 76, has waged several fights against taxpayer-funded projects, including the 1982 fight against a one-cent sales tax to fund a new Dolphins Stadium.

Braman won that battle when the current Dolphins stadium was built five years later.

It looks like the Marlins stadium might go through, but not without a fight. Braman intends on taking it all the way to the Supreme Court, if he has to.

Posted Sep 1, 2009
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