Stadiums as homeless shelters?
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For years, the Trillium property was known as a haven for Pensacola’s homeless population. Construction on the Maritime Park forced them off, but could the new stadium actually serve double duty as a homeless shelter?
That’s what State Senator Mike Bennett wants for Florida’s other sports facilities. He recently introduced SB816, which would update an existing (but largely unenforced) statute that requires professional sports complexes built with state money to function as homeless shelters on non-event nights. According to the statute, which has been on the books since 1988:
Any professional sports facility constructed with financial assistance from the state of Florida shall be designated as a shelter site for the homeless … except when the facility is otherwise contractually obligated for a specific event or activity.
If the law is amended by Bennett’s bill, non-compliant sports facilities and their teams would be forced to pay back any capital or operational funding they received from the state if the owner cannot prove that the facility has been used as a homeless shelter in the off season.
State sports franchises that would be affected include the Miami Dolphins and Heat, the Florida Marlins, the Tampa Bay Rays and Buccaneers, the Jacksonville Jaguars, and many more. All told, Florida’s professional sports facilities have received over a quarter billion dollars in state money.
“They hire refs and umpires to enforce the rules of the games they play,” Senator Bennett said. “So I just want them to play by the rules of the state, and if they don’t, I want my money back.”
Could this law affect Pensacola? Not by itself. The Blue Wahoos facility was built primarily by using local taxpayer dollars, not state funds. And while the Civic Center was built in the 1980s with $12.5 million in state funds, it is not primarily a sports facility and doesn’t qualify under the law.
Still, some Pensacolians would like to see a similar law passed locally. Father Nathan Monk, a longtime advocate for the homeless, says he has been aware of the existing statute.
“It’s unfortunate that the law hasn’t been enforced,” Monk said, noting that the approximately 500-person capacity of Pensacola’s homeless shelters is easily exceeded on harsh winter nights. “In an extreme cold situation, there’s not enough room for everyone to sleep safely. The good thing about the Civic Center for cold night situations is that it might result in a reduction of casualties that result from fires from people who use non-traditional heating.”
If the city council wanted to mirror state law regarding the stadium, they could pass an ordinance that substitutes city funds instead of state funds. Councilwoman Sherri Myers was all for the idea and said she would bring it up at a future council meeting.
“This would be in keeping with the intent and spirit of using the New Market Tax Credits in an impoverished area and would be the right thing to do,” Myers said.
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Sen. Bennett calls foul on sports teams' homeless shelter violations
Gray Rohrer
An obscure state law forcing sports arenas built using state taxpayers' money to be used as homeless shelters or contract for a homeless shelter nearby, gone unenforced for decades, could get some new teeth under a bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Bennett, R-Bradenton. It passed its first hurdle Monday, as members of the Senate Community Affairs Committee voted unanimously in favor of it.
The legislation, SB 816, takes back state money given to sports teams to build arenas that are not in compliance with the law. Many sports franchises do not have such a facility or a contract for a homeless shelter in place. Bennett said his bill would likely affect the Miami Marlins and the Miami Dolphins the most, since they received $37 million for Pro Player Stadium, even though the Marlins will begin the 2012 season in a new stadium.
“We have spent over $300 million supporting teams that can afford to pay a guy $7, $8, $10 million a year to throw a baseball 90 feet, I think that they can pay for their own stadium,” Bennett said.
Other Florida franchises have received similar amounts for their stadiums or arenas, but Bennett wants them to ante up further. He added an amendment fining sports teams that blackout games in local areas $125,000 per violation. The money would go to the home counties to purchase game tickets for foster children and families, and active duty military children and families. As part of NFL policy, teams are required to black out the game in the local media network if a home game is not sold out.
“We cannot control what the NFL does, but we can fine them the $125,000," Bennett said. "We think that there’s a lot of deserving children out here who would like to go to those professional sports franchises and see those games."
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a perennial offender, with frequent blackouts, and the Tampa Bay region also experienced blackouts from several Tampa Bay Buccaneers home games this year.
Sen. Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, voted for the bill and the amendment, but is wary of the fines and the ability of the state to enforce the homeless shelter statute.
“This year I think we [the Jaguars] had more blackouts than any other year,” Gibson said. “I don’t think we can enforce [the homeless shelter provision]. But it was for the people, the vote was for the people. We’ll have to deal with the logistics of it.”
The bill still faces several committee hurdles in the House and Senate, but Bennett said he is committed to getting the money for the stadiums back.
"If I don't [pass this bill] I'll probably talk to one of the attorneys who have contacted me about a class action suit to get the people of the state of Florida their money back,” Bennett said.
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