Dolphins Fishing for Broward Tax Dollars for Stadium Overhaul

Team wants cash from Broward for Sun Life renovations

The Miami Dolphins are lobbying to change a state law that would give them access to Broward County tax dollars to help fund a multi-million dollar Sun Life Stadium renovation.

Team CEO Mike Dee announced the initiative Wednesday that would help Broward pay for the Miami-Dade stadium, arguing that Sun Life benefits both counties and could bring in $2.5 billion in revenue over the next 30 years.

The team has filed a bill in Tallahassee that would allow counties to spend hotel taxes across county lines.

The Dolphins say Broward has benefitted from past events at the stadium, including the 2010 Super Bowl which generated over $300 million for South Florida businesses.

Renovations to the stadium would include a partial roof and the addition of 3,000 extra field level seats.

The renovations may be necessary if the stadium wants to host another Super Bowl. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has stated in the past that upgrades to Sun Life would have to be made for the team to host the big game in the future.

The Dolphins' plan wasn't exactly embraced by BankAtlantic Center honcho Michael Yormac, who issued a statement Wednesday.

“Sunrise Sports & Entertainment and the BankAtlantic Center are vehemently opposed to the Miami Dolphins’ cross-county request to use Broward County tourist tax dollars to supplement a multi-million dollar renovation on the team’s stadium in Miami-Dade County," wrote Sunrise president and COO Yormac. "The Dolphins clearly intend to turn their stadium in to a multi-purpose entertainment facility that can compete with the BankAtlantic Center for entertainment programming. So their request is, in effect, to use Broward County tax dollars to help a privately owned Miami-Dade facility compete with a publicly owned facility in Broward County."

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