The Official Site of Major League Baseball: News: Marlins' ballpark plan approved
By 2011, this Marlins team should be pretty damn good with guys like Ramirez, Maybin and Andrew Miller to break in that stadium. Will people go to games now that they have a new stadium? I sure hope so.Construction is scheduled to start by November, with the stadium ready for the opening of the 2011 season. The Marlins' Dolphin Stadium lease, long a problem because the club did not share in parking or concession revenues, expires after the 2010 season.
The stadium cost is estimated at $525 million, and the city has agreed to build an on-site, 6,000-space parking lot at an additional approximate cost of $94 million.
The county's tab adds up to $347 million, all but $50 million to be derived from tourist-tax revenues. The Marlins, who will contribute $155 million, will get $120 million in loans, and the other $35 million will be fronted by the county and paid back through yearly rent payments of $2.3 million.
In addition to building the parking garage, the city picks up $23 million, including $10 million for the demolition and cleanup of the Orange Bowl, the site of the new stadium.