What an irresistible character heart-on-his-sleeve Stephen Ross is. The billionaire Miami Dolphins owner came out swinging this month, declaring war on every Florida politician who voted to reject an economic opportunity like ... oh, let's see ... getting tourists to pay for an overhaul of the Dolphins' aging stadium, maybe?
No hidden agenda with this fellow.
Ross's fight-back weapon is Florida Jobs First, a PAC set up to support Gov. Rick Scott's re-election and oppose office-seekers like ... oh, let's see ... maybe Will Weatherford, whom he accuses of playing politics with opportunities to boost the state's economy?
Clearly he would love to make life uncomfortable for Speaker Weatherford. The ambitious Wesley Chapel Republican, who raised his profile during the 2013 session, drummed up a cartload of PR by head-butting Scott on key issues like the Sun Life Stadium renovation. Weatherford ignored a chance to resuscitate the stadium, letting a public referendum on a 1 cent increase in the Miami-Dade County hotel bed tax die without bringing it to a vote in the House.
Politico.com quoted a Ross ally as saying Scott "has been a pro-jobs governor and we want to ensure he is re-elected with a friendly Legislature that will support his pro-jobs agenda.
Who can blame Ross? He's still plenty hot-to-trot.
-- In the first place, the 72-year-old billionaire was unable to quiet cries of "corporate welfare." Owners who can afford to pay should, his critics said.
Maybe. But Ross is no different from most owners of professional sports franchises. They're all billionaires or close to it. That doesn't mean they should have to go ownership alone. Studies have shown that generally, the most successful franchises are the ones in which the city and/or state has a significant investment in the team's commitment. Franchise ownership is about more than money. It's a partnership.
-- In the second place, by accounts from his staff, Ross reckons he got caught in a testosterone fight between Weatherford the power player and the governor's staff. But it wasn't just the House speaker, said Carla Ruiz, who works inNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's office. It was alsoa pair of Miamians, Reps.Jose Felix Diaz and Carlos Trujillo, fellow Republicans who openlyworked against a chance for tourists, not taxpayers, to foot the lion's share of the $350 million stadium renovation. For Ross, who loves the Miami community, this was tantamount to disloyalty. "They broke his heart," Ruiz said.
Without legislative approval, the Dolphins were unable to proceed with a planned May 14 referendum on the issue in Miami-Dade County. What the team wanted was $289 million from an increase in the county hotel tax, and up to $90 million in state sales tax rebates. The bill would have also allowed other professional sports teams in Florida to compete for a share of state tax dollars. But, no.
-- In the third place,he spent $10 million playing the game by Tallahassee rules, all for naught. "He feels like he got took," says Ruiz. And he isn't used to losing when he knows he's right.
-- And finally, the last straw:Miami lost the chance to be chosen as the site for the 50th Super Bowl. That 2016 game is going to San Francisco. Miami-Dade said goodbye to the opportunity to employ 4,000 on stadium construction jobs and provide the boost that comes from an economically explosive Super Bowl week. It didn't matter that Goodell himself personally lobbied the Legislature, or that after 26 years, in the second decade of the new century, multipurpose Sun Life is shabby and noncompetitive.The latest improvements would have added about 3,600 seats close to the field, along with a partial canopy roof to shield fans from sun and rain.
Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee, told the press when the session ended, "The House leadership has made our efforts to bring the Super Bowl back to Miami and South Florida much more difficult."
Ross's Florida Jobs First is unlikely to put a bruise, let alone a dent, in Will Weatherford's 2014 election chances. But the speaker woke a sleeping giant. Ross, whom I admire for this plucky show of proactive indignation, has a lot of wealthy friends who will do wonders to swell the PAC's proceeds. Watch for the Dolphins' disparaged and determined owner to do a fair amount of damage in some key House races, and in support of a governor who -- rich as he is -- will need every penny he can get to win a second term.
I'm glad the Legislature was so mindful of watching how the state spends incentive money. But Florida, about to become the third largest state, has an obligation to far more, to the intangibles, to the image that attracts visitors and new residents, to all of Florida's citizens. It's quality of life I'm talking about, and the Miami Dolphins and other national sports franchises are part of ours. Why would we want to risk losing any of them?
There were at least a dozen less worthy bills that passed in 2013. The disappearance of the Dolphins stadium proposal, dead on the vine as it was -- big mistake.
Reach Nancy Smith at nsmith@sunshinestatenews.com or at 228-282-2423.
