MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – On the heels of the most watched Super Bowl game in history, there is renewed hope to bring the big game back to South Florida.
PHOTOS: South Florida Super Bowl history
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According to Nielsen ratings, 111.3 million people tuned in to see the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in Indianapolis Sunday night.
The prestigious game often brings a $300 million boost to the local economy.
"It's important for our community," said Nicki Grossman, President of the Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Grossman is part of the team trying to lure the 2016 game back to Sun Life stadium in Miami Gardens. 2016 is the next available slot that selected cities would be allowed to place bids.
"It's the 50th anniversary of the NFL, of Super Bowl, it's the 50th anniversary of the Miami Dolphins and its really the perfect time to bring that game back to its real home in South Florida," Grossman said.
No other community has hosted more Super Bowl games than South Florida-- a record ten times.
However the facility is 25 years old and no games are on the horizon. The NFL warned that the aging stadium is falling out of favor with team owners unless a major face lift is completed.
New plans call for retractable roof, high-definition lighting, new video screens and 3,000 additional seats next to the field. One estimate puts the renovation cost at roughly $250 million.
Dolphins CEO Mike Dee has said in the past that public tax dollars should be used to help fund the project. However, strong opposition among community leaders has put the idea on ice for now.
"The good thing is we've got time on our side," said Rodney Barreto, chairman of the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee. "It's 2012. If we get invited, we bid now and we've got four years to make something happen."