The Florida Marlins’ dreams of their own, baseball specific stadium in Miami will soon be resolved. The final vote by Miami city and Miami-Dade county commissioners is set to be held on February 13th. The vote on the Marlins’ new stadium will be the culmination of a decade long struggle to find a permanent home for the Marlins in South Florida.

Everything is at stake in this vote, the future of the Marlins and the future of Miami on the national sports stage. Whether people like to admit to it or not, a cities image on the national stage is greatly improved by having professional sports franchises. That image is even more powerful if your city has a team in each of the nation’s major sports leagues, the NHL, NFL, NBA, and MLB. Miami is one of a few regions of the country that enjoy the luxury of 4 professional sports teams along with the likes of Boston, New York, Washington DC, Philadelphia, the Twin Cities, Dallas, the Bay Area, Chicago, and Phoenix.

The Marlins’ future, at least in the eyes of its ownership, is also at stake. Should the city and county block the new stadium and either set it back further or lead to its demise, the Marlins’ days in South Florida could be numbered. Marlins’ fans have for years had to put up with talk of their team being contracted or moved to a city more loving of baseball. No one should assume current Florida owner Jeffrey Loria wouldn’t consider this a viable option if it can make his wallet fatter.

Perhaps the most concerning aspect of all this is that a vote in the Marlins favor on the 13th doesn’t guarantee them their new stadium. Critics question whether the city and county will be able to move forward with the project from a financial standpoint. The current economic crisis and credit crunch are going to make borrowing money tougher for the city and county, and could possibly delay construction as material costs rise. Both the city and county are looking at a cost of around $10 million each for road improvement and the movement of power lines at the Little Havana site. Another $1.7 million is expected from both governments to keep the site “green”.

As it stands now, the total for the stadium comes to $609 million. Miami-Dade county is putting up 2/3 of that total, the city of Miami is donating the land for the stadium, and the Marlins are putting up $120 million up front and will repay the county another $35 million through rent. Upon moving into their new ballpark, the Marlins will change their name to the Miami Marlins and will be required (via lease agreement) to remain in the new stadium for 35 years.

In the end, if this stadium deal were to completely fall through for the Marlins, it will be the city of Miami that pays in the end. The Marlins aren’t going to disappear as a franchise all together. If they continue to be stuck playing in Dolphin Stadium and are not as profitable as ownership would like to see, don’t be surprised to see the franchise pack its bags and head for greener pastures. The Marlins, in the short history, have proven successful and look perched to make another run at success with their young, talented group of players. The Marlins’ 2 World Series titles in their history make them just as successful as the Dolphins, and more successful than the Heat and Panthers combined.

In many ways the future of the relationship between Miami and the Marlins will be drastically altered on February 13th. The two sides will either be linked together for several decades (which can hopefully be beneficial to both parties) or they can move farther apart, perhaps ending in the departure of the Marlins from South Florida someday. As a huge Marlins fan myself, I hope the City and County see fit to get this deal done and get the Marlins a new home.