Crucial vote for Beckham’s Inter Miami soccer stadium delayed again
David Beckham’s play to turn a city-owned golf course into a soccer stadium and commercial complex has been delayed again after a crucial Miami City Commission vote was postponed for the fourth time since February.
Commissioners were expected to discuss the deal at a special meeting Friday. Miami Mayor Francis Suarez’s office on Tuesday confirmed the city has pushed the vote back to 2 p.m. on April 28, the day of a regularly scheduled commission meeting.
A spokesperson for the mayor, who has championed the proposal since its inception, told the Miami Herald that City Attorney Victoria Méndez, who needs to be present for the public discussion, is going to be out of town for a family commitment. Méndez confirmed her conflict in a text message.
“In this negotiation, it’s very important for her to be there,” said Suarez spokesperson Soledad Cedro.
Miami’s Major League Soccer franchise needs four of five commissioners to approve the lease agreements, and one commissioner, Manolo Reyes, has consistently pledged to vote against it. Commissioner Alex Díaz de la Portilla, whose district includes the site for the proposed project, said the city should take “however long it takes” to get a “top-notch deal.”
“I am a firm believer in getting it done right rather than getting it done fast,” he said. “We want to make sure we get the best deal possible for our residents, and if that means continuing to work on it until it’s rock solid and we can achieve good jobs for the community and expand our tax base, then that’s what needs to happen.”
In early March, Suarez postponed the vote the day before the meeting. His office cited an issue with newspaper notices, but interviews with commissioners suggested the votes were not there yet.
Soccer fans and green-space advocates have awaited a vote on the no-bid, 99-year lease that would put Beckham and his partners, businessmen Jorge and Jose Mas, closer to building Miami Freedom Park. The vote could be a pivotal moment for Major League Soccer in Miami and a major move in South Florida commercial real estate.
Inter Miami’s ownership wants to lease Melreese golf course, the only publicly owned golf course inside Miami city limits, and turn it into a $1 billion complex that would include a 25,000-seat stadium to host Inter Miami’s home games, shopping center, office park, hotel and 58-acre public park.
Team officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Some residents of Grapeland Heights, the neighborhood next to Melreese, are concerned that traffic jams would clog up their quiet streets if the complex is built. Others want to see more commercial activity in the area and support the plan.
This story was originally published March 29, 2022 at 4:37 PM.
