In court on Tuesday, the franchise received a major victory that will help go a long way to securing the long-term stability of the franchise.

Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Jeri Beth Cohen ruled that a new ballpark for the Marlins indeed would serve a "public purpose."

The latest favorable ruling leaves one last legal count in auto dealer Norman Braman's lawsuit that challenges aspects of funding for the $515 million retractable-roof ballpark on the Orange Bowl grounds in the Little Havana section of Miami.

In a statement released to the media, Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria said: "We welcome Judge Cohen's ruling, which confirms that our elected officials have made the right decision for the future of our community. It is unfortunate that so much time and so much of the public's money has been wasted in this legal process. It's time to get all of these projects, including the ballpark, back on track for the benefit of the people of Miami-Dade County."

The latest ruling now means the stadium effort has received six favorable court decisions. There remains a seventh and final count that still must be decided. The judge must decide whether county redevelopment dollars can be put toward nearly $2 billion in a series of projects for Miami-Dade County, which includes the Marlins' stadium. Technically, that ruling isn't strictly about the Marlins' ballpark.

That decision is expected sometime in the middle of the month.

The public purpose decision was a major hurdle that is now cleared. Throughout the lawsuit, Marlins officials have kept pushing forward on the stadium issue.

For months, meetings have been under way with the designer, and officials from the team and South Florida recently visited roofed stadiums in Arizona.

"This is a critical step in securing the long-term future of Major League Baseball in Miami," Loria said in his statement. "We will proceed immediately to finalize discussions with the County and the City to put in place all the long-awaited final agreements.

"We look forward to the Marlins playing in the new ballpark for generations to come."

The target date that Marlins are hoping for to move into their own ballpark is 2011. The team notes that the building will make a significant economic impact on the area.

"The new ballpark will provide approximately 2,000 jobs during the three-year construction cycle," Loria said. "It will be an economic boon to the County and the City and will provide a first-class venue not only for the Marlins, but also for the community as a whole.

"We look forward to unveiling the detailed plans for the ballpark in the very near future. We believe that the upcoming decision on the use of the Community Redevelopment funds does not impact the ballpark project. The financing for the stadium is coming from the Marlins, from the voter-approved GOB bond issue for the Orange Bowl site, and from tourist bed tax revenues. Since no CRA dollars are being used for the ballpark project, the remaining count in the lawsuit does not relate to the construction of the ballpark."

The Marlins have been a surprise team this season. They are striving to post the fifth winning record in franchise history.

Since their inaugural 1993 season, the Marlins have been playing at Dolphin Stadium, the home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins and University of Miami football team.