The ATP/WTA Miami Open tennis tournament would "move from Key Biscayne to Hard Rock Stadium" in '19 under a deal that includes a $1M "annual county subsidy from an existing agreement" that pays the Dolphins up to $5M a year for major sporting events, according to Douglas Hanks of the MIAMI HERALD. Miami-Dade County commissioners must approve the agreement, but tourney operator IMG has "already signed paperwork" with the administration of Mayor Carlos Gimenez to make '18 the "last year for the tournament on Key Biscayne." Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross proposes building a $53M facility to "host tournament events in parking lots outside the stadium, while the marquis tennis matches would be held in Hard Rock Stadium itself." The deal would "end one of the oldest traditions of professional sports in the Miami area." The tennis tournament debuted on Key Biscayne in '87 and "drew spectators from around the world to the lush, waterfront county stadium built for the event." Tournament organizers under IMG said that "without larger facilities, they can’t offer the prize money that keeps star players competing at the Miami Open" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 11/29).
