When a pipe broke at the Adrienne Arsht Center in May, the resulting torrent of water cut short a performance of "The Lion King," but it also caused millions of dollars in damage.

The taxpayers of Miami-Dade County are going to pay for the repairs, and it could cost as much as $5 million.

PHOTOS: Roof leaks

A deluge of water flooded through the ceiling and down the walls of the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Arsht Center. Now, the repairs are under way, and the lobby has been draped in plastic.

A one-year construction warranty on the building expired years ago, and the county's insurance policy has a $5 million deductible.

"I know how the county works, been in it 20-something years, and once we do this, there's not going to be any incentive on the contractor to admit any type of guilt later on, no matter how much it costs. I just don't see them paying anything," said Miami-Dade Commission Chairman Joe Martinez.

Most of the commissioners reluctantly agreed to pay.

"The repairs need to be done so they can continue to operate and run their programs and continue to provide those cultural services to the community," said Miami-Dade Commissioner Dennis Moss.

The Arsht Center's Knight Concert Hall on the east side of Biscayne Boulevard remains open, while the affected Ziff Ballet Opera House will not reopen until October after the flood.

"We've got to repair it now. We just can't continue with this situation. We've got to open up in October, I guess, so we've got to get in front of this," said Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez.

The mayor said this case will eventually wind up in court with the county suing the parties responsible for the damage. It could happen again; there are 44 pipes at the Arsht Center that are similar to the one that sprang a leak.