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Marlins agree to share in sale proceeds on eve of city vote on new ballpark

The Florida Marlins made some last-minute concessions, including a promise to share proceeds should a sale of the team happen within nine years, in an effort to curry favor before the City Commisson debates the new-ballpark proposal today.
The Florida Marlins made some last-minute concessions, including a promise to share proceeds should a sale of the team happen within nine years, in an effort to curry favor before the City Commisson debates the new-ballpark proposal today.

Still, it remains to be seen whether the sweetened offer is enough for city commissioners, as two key votes are in the balance, with more demands being made of the Marlins.

The two concessions involve a promise to share in the proceeds of a team sale on a sliding scale (70 percent of the profit in year one, 60 percent in year two, 50 percent in year three, 5 percent in year five). That’s way up from a split of 18 percent originally offered by the team.

In addition, the Marlins are offering to pay half a million dollars annually to local charities, with a quarter of that tabbed for youth baseball.

Still, this may not be enough to placate ballpark opponents. Commissioner Marc Sarnoff, who fueled the unrest over the proposed ballpark deal by throwing a monkey wrench into the proceedings last month, says he wants to see the Marlins’ books before proceeding. And Michelle Spence-Jones, a key vote on the five-person commission, now wants to see more of a commitment to local workers.

Plus, some Miami-Dade County Commissioners are making even more demands of the Marlins, threatening to scuttle the whole deal and starting from scratch. The county is expected to address the ballpark proposal on Monday, depending on what happens with the city commission today.

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