The Dolphins have announced plans to renovate Sun Life Stadium, making clear that they want to host another Super Bowl.
“Our intention is to make Sun Life Stadium a world-class facility that is competition-ready for Super Bowls, college football championships, and global soccer events, as well as providing a much better environment to watch the Dolphins, Hurricanes and Orange Bowl every year,” Dolphins owner Stephen Ross said in a statement. “I think our planned modernization will maintain the special outdoor flavor of Miami, while giving us the look of the best stadiums around the world.”
Although the Dolphins’ statement says private funds would cover the majority of construction costs, the Miami Herald reports that the Dolphins are planning to ask state and local governments to foot some of the tab for the projected $400 million cost of stadium upgrades.
That could be a problem in Miami, where Major League Baseball’s Marlins got a sweetheart deal on their new stadium -- a deal that, according to public opinion polls, most Miami residents view as an expensive mistake. The Florida State Senator who represents the district that includes Sun Life Stadium told the Miami Herald that there’s no way the Dolphins will get the same kind of deal that the Marlins got.
But the Dolphins will ask for some public money for renovation plans including installing more comfortable seats and new seating closer to the field, HD video screens, a partial roof that gives fans shade on hot days and shields fans from the rain but allows the team to keep playing on natural grass, and better concession areas.
