NFL, South Florida Working To Prepare For Super Bowl XLI

The NFL budgeted more than $6M for security for Super Bowl XLI and hired “more than 3,000 civilians to serve as security personnel in addition to the presence allocated by the Miami-Dade police force and the federal manpower allocated,” according to Tom Curran of NBCSPORTS.com (1/29). Miami police will be “responsible for [patrolling] a host of Super Bowl-related events.” Their “primary task: security at the three hotels serving as the NFL’s headquarters,” the Marriott, the Doubletree Grand Hotel and the Radisson Hotel near the Carnival Center for the Performing Arts (MIAMI HERALD, 1/29).

TAILGATING: In Miami, Larry Lebowitz notes the NFL is “trying to gently tamp down another burgeoning controversy over the ban on tailgating.” NFL Dir of Corporate Communications Brian McCarthy said, “We don’t mind if fans come early, eat and drink. They can hang out near their cars or they can go over to the NFL Experience. But we don’t want them bringing in grills and other big items. We just don’t have the space that we have on a normal game day.” Dolphin Stadium, which typically has 24,000 parking spaces, will have only about 11,000 on Sunday (MIAMI HERALD, 1/31).

MINORITY REPORT: South Florida Host Committee Chair Rodney Barreto said that minority- and female-owned businesses in South Florida have been awarded $14M in NFL contracts for “catering, barricades and other services needed” to stage the Super Bowl. That sum tops the record of $10M set in Detroit last year (SUN-SENTINEL, 1/29).

PLANNING AHEAD: In Phoenix, Scott Wong reports more than 60 reps from the cities of Glendale and Phoenix and the Arizona Super Bowl Host Committee, which together will put on next year’s Super Bowl XLII at Univ. of Phoenix Stadium, are visiting Miami this week, “observing South Florida’s Super Bowl plans and promoting next year’s game.” The trip is estimated to cost taxpayers $1,200-1,400 per person (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/31).