MIAMI -- The Florida Marlins and local government officials plan to meet with Major League Baseball in New York next week to discuss ways to finance a new ballpark in South Florida.

According to published reports, a vacant plot of land in plain view of the American Airlines Arena could be the new home of the Florida Marlins if MLB officials get their way.

The vacant lot, owned by Florida East Coast Industries, is bordered by the south and north by Fifth and Seventh streets, and to the east and west by Miami Avenue and a Metrorail track.

Although the property belongs to a private entity, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Alvarez made it very clear to reporters Tuesday who would own the stadium if the Marlins ever moved there.

"The stadium will be owned by Dade County and the Marlins will be paying a rent," Alvarez said. "We're not building a stadium for a rich owner. It'll be our stadium."

The Marlins appeared close to reaching an agreement with San Antonio officials about relocating there ever since they received permission from MLB officials last year, but city leaders rescinded their offer to pledge $200 million toward the cost of building a new stadium there when MLB didn't meet a May 15 deadline to confirm the move.

Marlins officials have always said they are committed to staying in South Florida. It is widely reported that MLB officials would like to keep the Marlins there as well.

"I'm sure that the Marlins are looking anywhere and everywhere to have a stadium built, but talking about it is easy," Alvarez said. "Actually doing it is much harder, as we have found out here in South Florida."

The reason the downtown site was chosen was because of its proximity to Interstate 95, a public transportation stop nearby and a railroad track that connects to Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood and West Palm Beach.

The Marlins have been negotiating for years with the city of Miami and Miami-Dade County to finance a new stadium. The Marlins requested a retractable-roof stadium at the site of the Orange Bowl, but could not come to an agreement on the funding.

There were also reports that Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga, who originally owned the Marlins before selling the team in 1997, had offered land and money to the financially strapped team to build a new ballpark on the property next to Dolphin Stadium, but that offer no longer appears to be on the table.

The team is currently in talks with the city of Hialeah, the state's fifth-most populous city located just a few miles northwest of downtown Miami, about building a facility there.

"I'm optimistic," Alvarez said. "I have been optimistic for two years. Talks have never stopped. They continue, and hopefully we'll have a stadium that the Marlins can play in."

A $100-million funding gap has been the point of contention in recent negotiations.

The Marlins have shared a stadium with the Dolphins since the franchise began play in 1993. Their lease ends in 2007, but the team could stay through the 2010 season using a series of one-year options -- yet team officials vow they won't play there any later than that.

The Marlins won the World Series in 1997 and 2003.