The Heat filed suit yesterday in Dade County Circuit Court
seeking to prohibit the Supervisor of Elections from placing a
referendum for a new arena on the November 5 ballot. Heat
General Counsel Eric Woolworth: "The petition that formed the
basis for this referendum is misleading, vague and clearly
violates Dade County's Charter and Code, as well as State
election laws. The present language only serves to confuse
voters on the issue of a new arena, port project and future
waterfront development" (Heat).
THE CANDIDATES SPEAK OUT: The Heat's proposed new arena has
been a featured issue in the Dade's mayoral race. Mayoral
candidate Alex Penelas, who has been "slamming" the $165M
downtown waterfront plan opposes Arthur Teele Jr., who voted for
the arena package in June, according to Joseph Tanfani in the
MIAMI HERALD. Teele is now saying that he will call for new
arena talks the day after the election. Teele: "We've got to go
out and assemble land, condemn land if we have to. That's
something the Heat should pay for." Teele insists he's "not
flip-flopping because he never liked the waterfront site. He
still supports a new publicly funded arena to keep the Heat in
Miami." Penelas says he's "not opposed to a new arena, but does
not support using hotel bed taxes or any other public financing
to help pay for it." Penelas favors a plan that would expand the
current Miami Arena and use Heat money to fund it. Jay Cross,
the Heat's point man on stadium talks, said, "Until a new mayor
becomes mayor we're not going to consider renegotiating" (MIAMI
HERALD, 9/26).
