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"Mega-Plan" Lawsuit Heads Back To Court Monday

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Jul 13, 2008 12:08 pm US/Eastern

"Mega-Plan" Lawsuit Heads Back To Court Monday

Braman: Only A Public Vote Will Initiate A Settlement

MIAMI (CBS4) ― After being ordered to negotiate some sort of settlement, auto dealer Norman Braman's lawsuit against the City of Miami and Miami Dade County will head back to court on Monday.

Braman sued to stop the progress of a $3 billion so-called Megaplan, which city and county commissioners approved last year to build a new Marlins stadium in Little Havana, a port tunnel and a slew of other projects.

On Friday, negotiations between Braman and representatives from the city and county failed to yield results.

Saturday, Braman and a small group of people supporters protested the billion-dollar plan on Watson Island across from the Port of Miami, one of the beneficiaries of the Megaplan's millions. City officials want to use community development funds to help build a port-to-interstate tunnel and other civic improvements, freeing money to help the Marlins build a stadium at the former Orange Bowl site. In his suit, Braman claims the plan violates taxpayers' rights on several levels and only an agreement to have the public vote on it would would make him settle his lawsuit.

"This is another example of the type of contempt that our public officials have for the citizens who live here," said Braman.

Braman's lawsuit was to go to trial on Thursday, but Miami-Dade Circuit Court Jeri Beth Cohen ordered the two sides into mediation until Monday.

In addition to a public vote, Braman would like to see some of the terms of the Megaplan changed to give more control of the new baseball stadium to the city and county. Under terms of the current plan, the Marlins control what activities can go on at the stadium for all but 16 days of the year. The Marlins must also agree to any event held at the stadium and receive profits from any concert or event held there. Braman also wants increased profits paid the county if Jeffrey Loria sells the team before their 30 contract expires. The auto dealer would also like to see some of the Community Redevelopment Agency money in the plan to go towards a community center with a computer lab and basketball courts built near the stadium.

Braman has his supporters on the Miami Dade Commission including Javier Souto who was so angry over the push to approve the stadium plan that he ripped the proposal in half the night the vote was taken.

"This is a disgrace to the democratic process, what we're doing here today," Souto told his fellow commissioners, "we're not consulting with the people."

City and county government officials say the mega-plan project will benefit a community that is in need.

"The way I see it, we're not building a stadium for the Marlins," County Mayor Carlos Alvarez said before the city vote. "We are building a stadium for Miami-Dade County residents. We are going to own that stadium."

The $3-billion plan also includes a tunnel to the Port of Miami, a downtown trolley and pay off $484 million of construction debt at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

The Marlins hope to begin playing at the new 37,000-seat stadium in 2011.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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