MIAMI, July 23 (UPI) -- A Florida judge has thrown a wrench into the Marlins' effort to build a new stadium, postponing a key ruling in a lawsuit.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Jeri Beth Cohen said Tuesday she will delay her decision until the state Supreme Court rules on a similar case involving spending taxpayer money without a referendum, the Miami Herald reported. The Supreme Court is in recess for the rest of the summer, and a lawyer for Miami said that the court might not rule in the fall because three justices are scheduled to retire.
The stadium is part of a plan put together by the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County that includes a new streetcar system, a tunnel for the port and retirement of the debt for a performing arts center. Businessman Norman Braman's lawsuit claims that increasing the money used to retire the debt is illegal.
Cohen told the lawyers to give closing arguments Wednesday and said she would rule on whether the stadium is a proper public purpose. The Marlins hope to open the new stadium in the Little Havana neighborhood in time for the 2011 season.
