Miami Marlins and Dolphins Give Big to Political Action Committees

Life on the field has not gone well for Miami's football and baseball franchises. The Marlins sucked during the first half of the season while playing inside the team's sparkling new ballpark, which was financed with a half-billion dollars in taxpayer funds. Meanwhile, the Dolphins organization has been busy during the off-season trying to convince fans that 2012 won't be another rebuilding year after the reign of former coach Tony Sparano ended like a monumental dump inside a Porta-Potty.

But when it comes to the political arena, the Marlins and Dolphins are doing a great job greasing the wheels at county hall. Both organizations have contributed bundles of cash to political action committees backing Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and the incumbent county commissioners facing a slate of opponents supported by billionaire businessman Norman Braman.

According to the latest campaign reports submitted last week, the Dolphins contributed $25,000 to Common Sense Now, a political action committee pushing Gimenez's re-election. The Fins, whose owner, Stephen Ross, wants taxpayers to subsidize improvements for the team's stadium in Miami Gardens, also kicked in $10,000 each to Government for the People and Miami-Dade Citizens for Real Reform, two committees that are apparently backing Bruno Barreiro, Audrey Edmonson, Barbara Jordan, and Dennis Moss.

The Marlins and team owner Jeffrey Loria contributed a total of $45,000 to the two committees as well. Loria also gave $35,000 to an organization called Respect the Voters' Choice. For obvious reasons, Loria did not shower the mayor with any money. When he was county commissioner, Gimenez voted against the stadium deal.