In a move to lessen public acrimony, John W. Henry, the team's chairman, has voluntarily withdrawn consideration of a controversial proposal to build the ballpark in the Downtown Bicentennial Park.

"While our feasibility analyses demonstrate that Bicentennial Park is the site best suited for baseball Downtown in Miami from a vast majority of perspectives, we recognize that development of Bicentennial Park continues to be a divisive issue in the community," according to a letter Henry delivered March 9 to city staff.

Since its opening game in 1993, the team shares space with the Miami Dolphins football team in Pro Player Stadium, a $115-million facility the late Dolphins owner Joe Robbie developed with private financing.

"It is the Dolphins' facility," Marlins spokesman Ron Colangelo tells GlobeSt.com. "We just do not receive the revenue to be competitive."

Following a decision in August 1999 to begin site selection, the Marlins soon declared Bicentennial Park as their preferred development site. Acknowledging that consultants have identified at least nine other development sites in Miami, Henry expressed concern in the letter about a self-imposed deadline of completing construction on the ballpark by the season opener in 2004.

Those concerns center specifically on the ability to limit development cost to the $385 million proposed in a preliminary financing agreement signed last December by Miami-Dade County elected officials. Much of the construction costs would come from proposed legislative-authorized, county sales tax rebates and parking surcharges.

"Time remains critical to the process; any delay may jeopardize the ability to seek necessary approvals at the county and state levels, as well as putting the franchise in the position of making difficult interim financial and competitive decisions to ensure its viability prior to opening a new ballpark," Henry wrote in the letter.

"The commission unanimously voted to make a final site determination at the March 15 meeting. We urge you to hold true to that deadline and work with us to reach an acceptable solution for the community and the franchise at that meeting so that the issue can move forward to the county commission and the Florida Legislature."

Instant Insights /

Florida Marlins Abandons Controversial Site for Ballpark

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