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COPYRIGHT 2001 The Miami Herald
Byline: Marika Lynch
Apr. 23--TALLAHASSEE, Fla.--The last time Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla came out swinging, he ended up in a wrestling match on the pavement outside a Little Havana radio station, fighting with another Cuban-American legislator who insulted his father over the airwaves.
A long-running dispute among some Cuban-American lawmakers has split Miami-Dade County legislators on the Florida Marlins' efforts to get a tax rebate to build a new stadium. But the issue is more complex than that -- some political enemies are actually on the same side on the stadium rebate. A key to the players:
Sen. Alex Diaz de la Portilla: A political consultant, first-term senator and former House member whose district includes the Miami River site. He is against the stadium tax rebate and believes the Marlins argument that there is widespread local support for a new ballpark is "smoke and mirrors."
Rep. Renier Diaz de la Portilla: Alex's brother, a House freshman and a former Miami-Dade School Board member who opposes the stadium rebate. On election night last September, he fought with Rep. Carlos Lacasa, R-Miami, after Lacasa referred to his father, on radio, as having been a drug dealer. Lacasa said he was referring to the elder Diaz de la Portilla's arrest about 20 years ago for marijuana smuggling, charges that were eventually dismissed.
Rep....
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