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Nonprofit Group Plans To Give New Life To Miami Marine Stadium

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The Miami Marine Stadium, an iconic stadium on Key Biscayne deemed unsafe after Hurricane Andrew in 1992, has a group of friends in Miami that, after a vote by city commission Thursday, now have control over the stadium and the full surrounding site for an ambitious redevelopment plan.

Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium, according to CBS4's News partner the Miami Herald, were seeking approval to raise $30 million for renovations and plan to utilize the venue for many purposes, including concerts, boat races, triathlons and more.

In order to execute their plan, the group was hoping to gain control over the entire 12-acre site and on Thursday, according to the paper, the city commission voted 4-1 to do so.

On a portion of the stadium's parking lot, the paper reported, the nonprofit group plans to build what is described as a small-scale development to help support the operation of the facility.

Their plan now, according the group's co-founder Jorge Hernandez, will still have to come back to the commission for approval.

Friends of the Miami Marine Stadium will not seek public funding for their efforts.

Over a year ago, the commission approved to lease the land to the group without seeking bids, but the ambitious plans are stalled as the group waits on the vote that would determine the extent of the land.

The all-volunteer group, organized in February of 2008, will now have two years to raise the total sum needed for renovation plans. According to the paper and co-founder of the Friends group, Don Worth, the group already has $10 million in funding commitments but couldn't move forward with plans for fundraising without a finalized deal.

The Miami Marine Stadium, considered a Modernist icon, was built in 1963 and deemed unsafe after Hurricane Andrew in 1992.

(©2013 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald contributed material for this report.)

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