Florida Legislature Gives Miami Bailout on Marlins Deal

Before the Miami Marlins have even delivered their first pitch, their deal with the city of Miami has prompted the Florida legislature to pass a $1.2 million bailout:

The county tax assessor had previously noted that because the garages are reserved for Marlins fans during Marlins games — pretty much the only time you'd want to park there — they should be subject to taxes, and the city agreed to pay all taxes on the garages in their lease with the team. However, the state legislature approved a bill yesterday exempting the city from property taxes, and the county said it won't challenge the ruling.

What this basically means is that the city won't have to suddenly pay the county $1.2 million a year as a result of the stadium deal — whether you consider that a good or a bad thing depends largely on whether you're concerned about the city or county budget. It's still possible that someone could file a lawsuit challenging the law — as the Miami Herald notes, the Florida supreme court ruled in 2001 that "regular, for-profit use of a government building by a private entity essentially disqualifies the building from receiving a tax break" — but for now, it looks like Miami is off the hook for this cost, at least.

Good news for City of Miami taxpayers; bad news for Miami-Dade county taxpayers.

And in case you were keeping score at home, it seems the Feds are still looking into that controversial deal...