Sale of Miami Dolphins likely to be finalized shortly

[DolFan619]

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/football/pro/dolphins/sfl-dolsale033108,0,7748484.story

Sale of Miami Dolphins likely to be finalized shortly

By Omar Kelly & Sarah Talalay
Sun-Sentinel.com

11:51 AM EDT, March 31, 2008

PALM BEACH - The partial sale of the Dolphins franchise to real estate mogul Stephen M. Ross will likely be finalized within hours.

The transaction, which needs approval of 24 of the NFL's 32 owners, is on the agenda at the owners' meetings taking place at The Breakers hotel in Palm Beach.

Both Ross and present owner H. Wayne Huizenga, whom last month agreed to sell 50 percent of the Dolphins, Dolphins Stadium, and the developable land around it for $550 million, are hopeful a vote takes place before the lunch break.

"This is a great opportunity to get in because there's nowhere to go but up," Ross said of the franchise, which finished the 2007 season 1-15, prompting a shakeup to the front office and coaching staff. "And what better place to own a team than South Florida."

Ross, a part-time Palm Beach resident and chairman of the Related Cos., which develops community-transforming projects, has a net worth estimated at $4.5 billion according to Forbes.

Although Huizenga will retain control of the team for now, Ross is expected to take over perhaps as soon as next year, but certainly within a few years.

Ross, 67, has built a fortune focusing on affordable housing and mixed-use developments. He has been an advocate of civic causes, such as New York's unsuccessful effort to land the 2012 Summer Olympics, and a generous donor to charities, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and United Jewish Appeal-Federation of New York.

A rabid sports fan, Ross owned a five-percent stake in the NHL's New York Islanders in the late 1990s, invested in the short-lived United States Football League, and in 1999 made an unsuccessful bid for the New York Jets.

He looked at the Dolphins when Huizenga bought them, but acknowledged he "wasn't quite as financially prepared as Wayne was at that point in time."

But he admits owning a professional team has been a lifelong goal, one he's recently intensified his efforts to achieve.

"I've been hanging around the rim for a while just waiting for an opportunity," Ross said.

[ABuccsFan]

Which 50% of the Fins team will he take, offense or defense? Decisions, decisions ...

[DolFan619]

Which 50% of the Fins team will he take, offense or defense? Decisions, decisions ...

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Which 50% of the Fins team will he take, offense or defense? Decisions, decisions ...

You're a moron.  Do me a favor and take your lame jokes somewhere else.

[YoFuggedaboutit]

Looks like he took that literally.  He deleted his account.