The former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles is one of the most outspoken critics of plans to use taxpayer dollars to renovate the Miami Dolphins’ stadium.
Norman Braman, an auto magnate who bought the Eagles from Leonard Tose in 1985 and sold the franchise to Jeffrey Lurie in 1994, lives in Miami and has ripped the Dolphins’ proposal to ask taxpayers to finance about half of the planned $400 million in renovations to Sun Life Stadium.
“This is still welfare for a multi-billionaire,” Braman told WSVN News in Miami. “It’s wrong.”
According to Forbes, Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has a net worth of $4.4 billion. Braman believes that if Ross wants to renovate the Dolphins’ stadium, he should pay for it himself.
Braman has long advocated for lower taxes and has been a thorn in the Dolphins’ side for decades, always opposing the team’s efforts to get taxpayer support. Recently the Dolphins began to fight back, accusing Braman of hypocrisy and saying he asked for public support from Philadelphia during his time as owner of the Eagles, while skimping on the team’s payroll.
A public referendum on whether to use taxpayer money to renovate the stadium is expected within the next three months. The Dolphins are hoping to have financing in place by May 22, when NFL owners will vote on the host site for Super Bowl L in 2016.