Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Miami-Dade voters remove Mayor Carlos Alvarez
AP/YahooNews ^ | 3/15/11

Posted on 03/15/2011 8:21:04 PM PDT by Kartographer

Mayor Carlos Alvarez was ousted Tuesday by voters angry over a property tax rate increase and salary raise for county employees in a county struggling to recover from the recession.

With 100 percent of precinct votes counted, 88 percent voted to oust the mayor, making Miami-Dade the most populous area, with more than 2.5 million people, ever to recall a local official. Just 12 percent of the 204,500 who cast ballots were in favor of allowing Alvarez to finish his second term, which ends in 2012.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Florida
KEYWORDS: alvarez; dade; fl; florida; miami
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 next last
To: Kartographer

I guess there is just not enough of Gov. Chris Christie to go around. They will have to find their own.


41 posted on 03/16/2011 1:40:47 AM PDT by tioga
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Frantzie
So, you admit that you don't know what you're talking about. Thanks for that.

Further, I never said that I agreed with tax-funding (regardless of who is paying them) of any stadium. Sports owners should pay entirely for their own stadia. That isn't what happened here, but neither are your ignorant fantasies.

And, Miami-Dade county owns the venue, the stadium wasn't given away to the owners.

Then, there's your shot at the Marlins' "poor" attendance. Let's examine that.

The current ownership inherited the single worst stadium deal in all of ML sports. They play baseball in a cavernous football stadium. They get not one dime from parking. They get not one dime from concessions. They get not one dime from skyboxes or luxury suites because there aren't any. Their home games can be pre-empted by outside events like concerts. They are subject to the vagaries of Florida heat, humidity and rain.

Yet, the current ownership won a World Series in 2003 with a payroll of about $50 million, less than a third of the defeated Yankees' outlays.

They manage to put competitive teams on the field, year after year on a relative shoestring. And, in 2010 they attracted 1.53 million fans, despite the crummy venue and their severe financial limitations. That was more than Oakland and Toronto, both more established franchises.

The new stadium will give the Marlins control of their own destiny. They will control concessions and derive major revenue from them. They will have revenues from parking. There will be luxury suites and they will derive substantial revenues from them. They will not be pre-empted by outside events they didn't book, in fact they will control booking of outside events and derive revenue from them. They will no longer be subject to rain or the rest of the weather problems, every game will be played and will be played in pleasant conditions.

In short, they will be able to field a team with a league-average sort of payroll of around $80 million.

Premium ticket sales for 2012 (next season, not this season) are well ahead of expectations and it is likely that the joint will be completely sold out for the entire 2012 season, bringing paid attendance to about 3 million. That number will likely only be bested by 8 to 10 major-market teams.

After the "new stadium" effect wears off, I'll guess that attendance will settle in at about the MLB average of 30K because it's an organization that understands how to put a consistently good product on the field and will finally have more money to do so. But, they could easily sell-out for years, the stadium only holds about 37,000.

BTW, there is no other stadium like it on the planet. Beyond being a state-of-the-art and intimate venue for baseball, and one of the few stadiums with a retractable roof it will have an absolutely stunning, jaw-dropping view (from the stands towards left field) of the Miami skyline. No other stadium has anything like it.

So much for poor attendance. I've already covered the property tax aspects. Got anything else you want to pontificate on that you know nothing about?

42 posted on 03/16/2011 2:27:29 AM PDT by AntiScumbag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: wardaddy
no need to be tacky to frantzie...he/she was merely poorly informed

Nope, wouldn't want to let ignorance get in the way of offering less-than-useless opinions. The ignorant should be allowed to run rampant without dissent. Yeah, that's the ticket.

Sorry, pointing out facts isn't "tacky," whether you like it or not.

43 posted on 03/16/2011 2:48:48 AM PDT by AntiScumbag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: AntiScumbag
Eff Carlos Alvarex, the MDX, and the donkey they came into town on. This asshole along with his apparatchiks have set up tolls every mile and a half on every godamm highway in the county, with ridiculous highway construction projects that have been going on for the last 15 years with no visible improvement on highway congestion.

Next step is to get a GOP fed DOJ to put every last County Commissioner in jail, that coming as soon as the commie in the White House gets bounced out on his ass.

44 posted on 03/16/2011 2:59:53 AM PDT by Rome2000 (OBAMA IS A COMMUNIST CRYPTO-MUSLIM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: winstonwolf33
Norman Braman

Norman is self-made from nothing. I agree with his anti-tax philosophy. Not a dime should be spent by any government to support any stadium, other than perhaps roads, etc. to service the attending public.

That said, his lawsuit to stop the stadium was ill-founded. Which is why he lost and the stadium got built. The politicians decided that they didn't want the Marlins to move to another city, and so they worked out a deal, all within their legal purview. The Marlins are now here permanently, whether it turns out to be good or bad for the local taxpayers.

His recall effort was much better directed -- at the people who will go along with any stadium deal, other than one totally financed by the owner.

So it goes.

45 posted on 03/16/2011 3:13:33 AM PDT by AntiScumbag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: AntiScumbag
Premium ticket sales for 2012 (next season, not this season) are well ahead of expectations and it is likely that the joint will be completely sold out for the entire 2012 season, bringing paid attendance to about 3 million. That number will likely only be bested by 8 to 10 major-market teams.

ROTFLMAO

You are so funny you should be a comedian, you are funnier than Larry the Cable Guy, Jim Carey and Cantiflas all rolled into one.

I hope you have fun doing the wave BY YOURSELF in the always empty Marlins stadium.

People cant afford $250 to take a family of 4 to see a shitty team with a greedy scumbag owner that has the lowest payroll in the majors, just so he can put more cash in his back pocket.

Screw the Marlins, and screw that punk Hanley Ramirez too.

46 posted on 03/16/2011 3:18:09 AM PDT by Rome2000 (OBAMA IS A COMMUNIST CRYPTO-MUSLIM)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: AntiScumbag

Why should public funds be used for a private sports stadium?

Can I tax you for my back yard? For $60 I’ll allow you to come over and sit in a chair for two hours.


47 posted on 03/16/2011 3:22:22 AM PDT by Justa
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

Comment #48 Removed by Moderator

To: Justa

You apparently have a problem comprehending simple English.

Get back to me after you’ve re-read all of my posts on this thread.


49 posted on 03/16/2011 3:31:42 AM PDT by AntiScumbag
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

Comment #50 Removed by Moderator

To: gleeaikin

There has been a state income tax in NJ for as long as I can remember; I don’t know when it went into effect. Florida’s lack of a state income tax is a main reason why many people (military personnel, professional athletes, even Rush Limbaugh) “officially” live in Florida. Rush got into a spat with the governor of NY, who said we didn’t need him up here; he now broadcasts from Florida, and took those millions in NYC and NY State income taxes with him (yes, NYC has an income tax - and they did need him).

As I understand it only part of Florida is impacted by hurricanes.


51 posted on 03/16/2011 3:59:53 AM PDT by kearnyirish2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: GeronL
This is FloriDUH after all

That has gotten so old. The reason Florida has gotten that reputation is because of former NEW YORKERS....

52 posted on 03/16/2011 4:43:31 AM PDT by Paradox (Matthews has the emotional equilibrium of a pregnant, gambling chihuahua on meth.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

To: AntiScumbag

It’s still corporate welfare.


53 posted on 03/16/2011 5:16:56 AM PDT by Notary Sojac (When you buy stocks, you're betting on Bernanke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: AntiScumbag
I was a Marlins season ticket holder from 1993 - 2002 (when we moved out of Florida). I was there when Charlie Hough threw the first pitch, and when Edgar Martinez stroked that bloop single against the Indians in the eleventh.

And I'm quite sure that they'll never draw that many fans to the new stadium. Close to half the crowd I usually sat with (section 452, upstairs behind the plate right on the railing, best seats in the house) was from central and western Broward. They are not going to spend 50-70 minutes each way going to the ball park 4-5 nights a week.

It would have made far more sense to build the stadium out on I-75 where it would have been easy to get to from anywhere.

54 posted on 03/16/2011 5:27:17 AM PDT by Notary Sojac (When you buy stocks, you're betting on Bernanke)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: JulieRNR21; kinganamort; katherineisgreat; floriduh voter; summer; Goldwater Girl; windchime; ...

Florida Freeper


55 posted on 03/16/2011 5:29:51 AM PDT by Joe Brower (Sheep have three speeds: "graze", "stampede" and "cower".)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kartographer

Thank God.


56 posted on 03/16/2011 5:42:53 AM PDT by sport
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: winstonwolf33
Alvarez maintained throughout the recall effort that raising taxes was necessary to fill a $444 million gap and avoid cuts to critical social services welfare whores and unproductive government workers .

That's what he meant.

57 posted on 03/16/2011 5:50:36 AM PDT by Thane_Banquo (Mitt Romney: He's from Harvard, and he's here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 22 | View Replies]

To: Lancey Howard

Just his name sickens me. An ex New Yorker


58 posted on 03/16/2011 5:52:47 AM PDT by italianquaker (Maobama)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Paradox

Yep. I lived in Florida for 14 years. Not a bad place except for the transplanted New Yorkers stinking up the place. Thankfully there aren’t enough of them to turn the place into Queens-on-the-St.-Johns.


59 posted on 03/16/2011 5:53:30 AM PDT by Thane_Banquo (Mitt Romney: He's from Harvard, and he's here to help.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: AntiScumbag

You have GOT to be a writer.

That was well written!


60 posted on 03/16/2011 5:57:19 AM PDT by Marty62 (Marty 60)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson