MIAMI _ An agreement between the Florida Marlins, the Miami-Dade Chamber of Commerce and the Miami-Dade NAACP to steer contracts for construction and operation of a proposed baseball stadium to black-owned businesses has fallen apart, according to news reports.
The agreement dissolved after the Miami-Dade County attorney stated that the deal would violate court rulings that prohibit the awarding of contracts on the basis of race, The Miami Herald and South Florida Times news partner NBC 6 reported.
The purpose of the agreement, signed on Friday, was to promote racial diversity in the construction and everyday business activity of the Marlins in the $515 million ballpark.
The Florida Marlins had agreed to provide black-owned businesses with 15 percent of the Marlins' private contribution in construction contracts.
The team would have also sought to provide 15 percent of its contracts for products and services each year in its operations to black-owned businesses. Businesses that would be included in the agreement would run the gamut from construction, to janitorial, to legal, financial and accounting services.
Also, the Marlins had reaffirmed their commitment to assist with educational programs both for adults and youth in the community, and to work with community-based organizations and grassroots organizations to provide assistance to them.
The Miami City Commission is scheduled for a final vote on the stadium deal on Thursday, March 19, and the Miami-Dade County Commission is set to vote on it March 23.
bbennett@sfltimes.com
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