Manatees Hockey

The final clubbing Thursday, Jan. 4, 2007
Osceola Heritage Park/SMG announced today that the Florida Seals will not be permitted to host any more of their hockey games at the Silver Spurs Arena due to their failure to meet their contractual obligations. The first game to be canceled is tomorrow, Friday, January 5. Patrons looking for refunds, please go to point of purchase. Link!

Hockey team owes back rent, city says

Monday, Aug. 16, 2004

The Miami Manatees minor-league hockey team didn't have much success luring South Florida fans -- it didn't even last a whole season at Miami Arena.

Turns out the team wasn't much better at paying its bills, says the Miami Sports and Exhibition Authority.

Authority Executive Director and CEO James Jenkins announced at a Friday board meeting the team owes the city roughly $130,000 in back rent and other fees. Two $25,000 checks the city collected from the team bounced, Jenkins said.

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Bad Debts

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

David Waronker, the Miami Manatees owner, has yet to refund money to Manatees Season Ticket holders.

Eleven home games remained unplayed at the time the Manateees folded. Season Ticket holders were told to request refunds and were promised they would recieve their refund checks "soon".

More than half a year has passed and refunds remain notably absent from former ticket holders' mailboxes.

A recent article in the Orlando Weekly also revealed that Waronker owes $150,000 in back rent to the Orlando Centroplex for the Orlando Seals use of the T.D. Waterhouse Centre.

Waronker has announced that his Seals team would play in the newly formed Southern Professional Hockey League next season, but Miami fans have a warning for potential Orlando Season Ticket purchasers: "You could be next!"

Manatees Disband

Wednesday, March 3, 2004

Mark Fischel has related that David Waronker, the Miami Manatees owner, exercised an "out clause" in the team's lease agreement with the Miami Arena, thus effectively ending the team's existence.

The clause gave the team the right to terminate the lease after 20 home games if average attendance was below 1,500 at that point.

Waronker wanted to relocate the team to Maitland so that the club might finish out the season. The vast majority of players opposed this, however, and refused to make the move; most will try to hook on with other minor league clubs, both within and outside the WHA2. The league, then, will be forced to finish its season with five teams.