In an issue driven by South Florida’s history with professional sports owners, the House has started moving forward with a plan to reduce the potential of tax dollars being used to build sports facilities.
TALLAHASSEE (CBSMiami/NSF) – In an issue driven by South Florida’s history with professional sports owners, the House has started moving forward with a plan to reduce the potential of tax dollars being used to build sports facilities.
The House Workforce Development & Tourism Subcommittee on Thursday backed a measure (HB 791) that would go further than a similar Senate proposal (SB 414), which would repeal an unused pool of sales-tax dollars intended for building and improving professional sports stadiums.
The House proposal, filed by Rep. Bryan Avila, R-Miami Springs, also would prohibit the use of revenues from tourist-development taxes or convention-development taxes to finance or construct facilities that would be used by sports franchises.
The bill also would remove authority for local governments to spend half-cent sales tax revenues on motorsports entertainment complexes.
To bolster his case, Avila pointed to local spending on Marlins Stadium in Miami and the Legislature’s 2013 rejection of a $350 million funding request by the Miami Dolphins.
