Posted on 01/24/2012 1:13:12 PM PST by Recovering_Democrat
Here's an audit Florida's professional sports franchises may not have expected -- records of housing the homeless at their facilities over the years...
and if the Florida Panthers haven't been housing the homeless, the team's on the hook for more than $30.8 million in tax breaks it's gotten since 1996.
A recently released legislative analysis of State Sen. Mike Bennett's Senate Bill 816 notes that a law from the '80s requires sports franchises in Florida to house the homeless in its facility on off-nights, and in exchange, the teams get $166,667 from the state every month.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.browardpalmbeach.com ...
Florida news.
Florida news.
If they took the money, then they should have kept up their side of the bargain and provided the housing.
A deal is a deal. If they accepted this idiocy, then they should have honored it.
I bet those colored light stands really dance when a hurricane passes through the area.
It’s not clear from the story how many of the homeless are expected to be accommodated each night. If the contract is silent on this topic it may be that any number will meet the obligation. Zero is a number : )
Zero is the Number? Then Zero is the amount the Team gets from taxpayers.
Glanced at the title and thought it was some sort of PETA story...
Let me guess: the teams will threaten to go to another city, and they’ll continue to get the subsidy without housing the homeless.
That building opened in 1998 and Miami hasn’t had a major hurricane since. It would be real interesting to see how they would prepare it. I’d think you’d have to take those lantern thingys down or you might find them in Georgia. :-))
unless it was an emergency issue.
those south florida houses are build much sturdier than in other places. (concrete block, no wood on lower levels, hurrican rating windows etc)
was there a need?
>Senate Bill 816 notes that a law from the ‘80s requires sports franchises in Florida to house the homeless in its facility on off-nights, and in exchange, the teams get $166,667 from the state every month.<
Just pay the fine. It’s an idiotic rule in the first place as which facility are they talking about..practice or the actual arena? If it’s the practice arena such as the NFL which keeps it separate in cities away from the arena, then they should house them there.
A private company is forced to do this? So, will they pass a law requiring private citizens to shelter the homeless in our spare bedrooms and eat out of our refrigerators when we're not eating out of them? How about requiring us to hand them our car keys if we don't need the car that day? Something is very, very wrong with that.
define down time (/s)
Sort like when the Federal Govt gives money to the States it has strings attached.
I kinda like this law. We’re putting up money to keep these franchises in town by giving them new digs for them to lease from us every 30 years or so. I think MN should pass this law if they build a new stadium.
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