Few hundred people attend groundbreaking for new Orlando Magic arena

Quote- "That's who paid for the ceremony, which included speeches by Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, Magic chief operating officer Alex Martins and team president Bob Vander Weide."

This is key- the Magic throw pennies at the feet of groveling politicians while the taxpayers pay the REAL bills.

Roughly the same number of people as a typical Magic game?

So, Orlando owns the new arena and the Magic own Orlando. What a crock of crap this whole boondoggle has been. We voted this money-waster down and the crooks, opps..politicians, went ahead with it anyway. Vote against every incumbant who shows up on the ballot.

It is sick in todays financial market, that we are building a new arena when we have a good facility already.

I hope that the idiots, including Fat Head Dyer are proud of what they are doing.

By the time this arena opens, Downtown Orlando will be a mess - Foreclosures in the over-priced apartments and homes in Downtown Orlando will be out of control.

After all, who really wants to pay $100 a head + parking and over-priced food/drinks to watch crap

Hmm, well maybe we can use this new arena to house all the people losing their homes, employee all the people out of work, etc., etc. What a total waste of $$$!!!!

Is the current Arena even paid off yet?? Last I heard, it wasn't. Bend over Orlando, take it like a man.

I believe the illusion that "Bond Money" will pay for this boondoggle is a real "Con." perhaps a part of this rip-off is bonded but the tax payers will be stuck for the balance of this welfare project.

Our streets and roads are going to hell in a handbasket and the "leaders" of our town and county want to spend this kind of money to appease a minority of citizens.

The Orlando Tragic paid off everyone of the Boss Hogs' there today.
Disgusting.

This city needs it! Other cities have such better venues while Orlando is stuck in its "small town ways."

One day Orlando will be a real city with urban life and public transportation. Until then, everyone will whine about everything, and why its not "what it used to be." Orlando is a crap hole and needs new stuff!

Old people need to move to the villages and stop complaining about some of the good changes taking place in this out-dated city.

This is corporate welfare in the worst sense, but the politicians don't care, they get free tickets. And, what do the Magic care, the new arena will be a cash cow for them, regardless of whether anyone who makes under $100k ever walks through the doors.

I say boycott them and every company that buys a suite or courtside seats in the new facility.

I would have loved to go if I didn't have plans already.

UgetwhatUpay4 wrote:

This city needs it! Other cities have such better venues while Orlando is stuck in its "small town ways."
One day Orlando will be a real city with urban life and public transportation. Until then, everyone will whine about everything, and why its not "what it used to be." Orlando is a crap hole and needs new stuff!
Old people need to move to the villages and stop complaining about some of the good changes taking place in this out-dated city.

Exactly! Go to Cleveland and look at what "The Q" has done to downtown. If they hadn't gotten their new stadium, the Cavs would have left, just as the Magic would have without ours. And now Cleveland, which used to look as destitute as Orlando does now, is booming with business. The same can happen for Orlando with this new stadium.

UgetwhatUpay4 wrote:

This city needs it! Other cities have such better venues while Orlando is stuck in its "small town ways."
One day Orlando will be a real city with urban life and public transportation. Until then, everyone will whine about everything, and why its not "what it used to be." Orlando is a crap hole and needs new stuff!
Old people need to move to the villages and stop complaining about some of the good changes taking place in this out-dated city.

The city needs it??!! WTF? Orlando needs public transportation. Look at the failed history of light rail in Orange County. Your spineless politicians gave in to Disney and you get stuck on I-4 everyday. Just like I did when I lived there. Light Rail would be in place now if they didn't cave. Suck it Crotty!!

Considering these economic times, tumbling homes values and the huge short fall in revenue coming in (thanks in part to amendment 1) from the state, I personally think this is totally the wrong time to start a project of this size. We all know that tax payer dollars will eventually pick up a huge portion. I was around when the first arena and the new court house were built, and the tax payer got a regular hosing on those projects.
I stand with a large number of people that contends that hopefully a lot of this governmemt miss handling of our money will be changed come next election.
Be informed and find out which of our esteemed commisioners voted for this boon doogle and vote them out.

Every time I watch a magic game, a camera pans over the outside of the Amway arena and I am so embarrassed of my city!

We have a run-down arena that is named after a pyramid scheme company for pete's sake! Time for a change!

Wow, great job three chin Buddy, you and Rich Crotchy have totally sold out Orlando and Orange County, between the Magic and the Hiway Authority, it is a wonder that Orlando is not Bankrupt. You have slashed the Orange County Parks budget by 80% and laid off workers that make $10.00 an hour and yet you build this palace for a wanna be professional franchise. DeVoss and VanDerwade are laughing all the way back to Detroit in their private jet that you are paying for..

In response to a few posters that disagree w/ the public funding for "private" gain:

The current building is not up to far with other NBA arenas. How many of you have traveled to Tampa, Miami, Atlanta, New Orleans, or DC and visited their buildings - Night and Day. The choice Orlando/Central Florida was faced with was put $$$ into the arena or lose the only professional sports franchise in the area. The arena will boost the local economy by allowing Orlando to host more world class events. Many big concerts skip over Orlando because there is not a venue here that can compete with the venues in Tampa. More events means more local jobs. National political conventions last a week long and they look for world class arenas to hold their events.

This is the perfect time to build. Even though energy costs are high, material and labor costs are at 5-year lows. You are not competing with home and condo projects for services.

I thought the money would be better spent on a better football stadium that could attract bigger bowls, Super Bowls, big neutral site college games, huge outdoor concerts, etc. Big football games produce a week-long festival atmosphere that would fill hotels, restaurants and parks during the off-season months, but since we don't have a constant tenant, the arena will have to do.

It also will be a pleasing site downtown Orlando, right off I-4. Add in that it will be constructed in concert with the Magic's recent rise on the court, and you can't beat it. Just go and enjoy the events once the building is completed, and you will be glad the arena was built here.

I just read a bunch of comments that challenge the law makers to think about those that have lost jobs, houses, etc. Maybe those citizens can get jobs constructing or staffing the new building??!!! Why should taxpayer money go to supporting those that are not working towards supporting themselves? That is a poor argument against using public funds. You would be better served to say not the entire community benefits, schools, roads, more police or community partnerships to buck the recent rise in crime, etc.

Blame the banks, the federal gov. and poor consumer judgment for the foreclosure problem. Come on people. You didn't suspect anything when the value of your home increased by 100-200% in 2-3 years??? Really??The lenders lent money to borrowers without steady income, bad credit and with huge prepay penalties or balloon payments. The fed allowed lenders to go unchecked since the 80s. The borrowers took money they knew they couldn't pay back without hitting the Pick Six before their balloon payment came due or their APR jumped up! What does this have to do with spending county money on a new arena...NOTHING! Good job Crotty and Dyer for getting at least one thing right=)

UgetwhatUpay4 wrote:

Every time I watch a magic game, a camera pans over the outside of the Amway arena and I am so embarrassed of my city!
We have a run-down arena that is named after a pyramid scheme company for pete's sake! Time for a change!

Agreed. Besides, downtown Orlando is basically a ghost town right now. Just a few hotels and businesses left, but this, combined with the performing art center, can change that.

Austin wrote:

Just a few hotels and businesses left, but this, combined with the performing art center, can change that.

Sure, and the Great Pyramids transformed Egypt, only cost tens of thousands of lives....... how much will Orlando taxpayers suffer to construct this edifice to the Magic?