MIAMI-The Greater Miami and the Beaches Hotel Association has provided a key endorsement for the proposed $400-million renovation of Sun Life Stadium here by the Miami Dolphins.

The group approved a plan that calls for raising hotel taxes to help fund the project. The endorsement comes as the Dolphins prepare for a voter referendum on the measure.

The plan calls for the tax on mainland hotels to rise from 6% to 7%, which would generate approximately $10 million in additional revenue each year. The proposal would leave Miami Beach hotel taxes at the current rate.

“It's imperative that the stadium's amenities remain competitive,” Raj Singh, the association's chairman and general manager of the Sea View Hotel in Bal Harbour, says in a statement. The hotel association's resolution notes the value an upgraded Sun Life Stadium would have on the region by continuing to host Super Bowls and college football championships, as well as other major sporting and entertainment events.

Singh adds that the association believes part of the additional hotel tax revenue should be earmarked for promoting and advertising tourism in Miami-Dade County. See story in the Miami Herald.