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July 24,
2008
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Photo illustration
by Michael Menchero |
Extra Innings
Judge Jeri Beth Cohen delays two key rulings in stadium trial,
leaving county, city and Marlins officials waiting on an outcome
By Cynthia
Archbold
Norman
Braman had his day in court.
Actually,
the auto magnate had eight days in court, complete with highly
charged testimony, to challenge the constitutionality of a deal
among Miami-Dade County, the city of Miami and the Florida Marlins
to build the team a baseball stadium using taxpayers’ money.
But Braman
will have to wait a few weeks to find out if Circuit Court Judge
Jeri Beth Cohen agrees. The judge delayed two key decisions in the
lawsuit — one, whether the public would benefit from the stadium
and two, whether local lawmakers can pay for it indirectly with
community redevelopment money.
“She’s put a
lot of hard work in the case and I think she made the right
decision,” Braman said Wednesday. “She was torn by it — this is a
very conscientious individual. It’s been obvious from the
beginning that she’s been very troubled by this, and I think it’s
a very wise decision.”
Braman filed
a lawsuit against the county, the city and the Marlins to stop
them from using community redevelopment funds to build $3 billion
of public works projects — including a $515 million baseball
stadium and $94 million parking garage, Museum Park, a port tunnel
and a streetcar system — in downtown Miami
without letting taxpayers vote on it.
“He has had
it with the abuse of political power in Miami-Dade County,” his
lawyer, Robert Martinez, said during closing arguments Wednesday.
Assistant
County
Attorney David Hope argued that county and city leaders were
within their rights to negotiate the deal because the stadium will
stimulate civic pride, and building it is a matter of “paramount
public purpose” deserving of public tax funds. He said the stadium
and the other components of the downtown revitalization plan would
help to make Miami a “world-class city.”
Continued |
