Miami Beach Mayor Takes Aim At Port Miami Stadium Plan

Port Miami Stadium Faces Political Opposition

Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is ready to give David Beckham’s stadium group a red card if they continue to push a plan to build a new soccer stadium at PortMiami.

Levine unveiled his vision of where a soccer stadium should be located Wednesday evening at a meeting about the new stadium. Levine suggested somewhere in the middle of Miami International Airport to illustrate his opinion of building a stadium at PortMiami.

“The second largest economic generator is the Port of Miami,” Levine said. “It is quite preposterous to put a soccer stadium there.”

The number one concern for Levine and many others on Miami Beach is the potential for major traffic congestion on the MacArthur Causeway, as thousands of fans try to get to the stadium while residents try to get home.

Former Miami Beach Mayor Nissan Kasdin, who is representing Beckham and his port stadium plan, said the potential for increased congestion from the stadium would amount to zero.

“The traffic studies we’ve done show no additional traffic for Miami Beach,” Kasdin said.

Levine said he doubts that will be the case.

“When I was a kid I always believed that when you put your tooth under the pillow; the tooth fairy came and gave you money,” Levine said, “But as we know, there may not be a tooth fairy. So to answer your question, unfortunately I do not believe Mr. Kasdin.”

Some residents of Miami Beach at Wednesday’s meeting see the potential for traffic tie-ups saying it can already take almost an hour to get home on the Causeway without any soccer games adding to the congestion.

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