Miami-Dade County yesterday "secured an eight-year delay" in paying the Dolphins a bonus of up to $5M a year for "hosting the Super Bowl and other big events so that the county can save more money to pay off the debt" for Marlins Park, according to Douglas Hanks of the MIAMI HERALD. In '14, county commissioners "endorsed a proposal by Mayor Carlos Gimenez to pay the Dolphins" a maximum of $5M a year through '24 as "rewards for attracting the Super Bowl and other large events" to the newly renovated Hard Rock Stadium. Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross "secured the agreement in exchange for privately funding" its upgrade. With the renovations finished, the Dolphins are "ready to start collecting their bonuses from the county." That "prompted the county to trigger its option to delay payments" until '25. County commissioners yesterday approved the delay "without discussion." Postponing the payments was "considered all but a given" in '14 because the Miami-Dade hotel taxes that would be "used to pay the team were already tight then." By "exercising the deferral option," Miami-Dade postponed the '17 payments until '26, with any payments earned in '18 paid out in '27, and so on (MIAMI HERALD, 10/4).
