David Beckham Discusses Miami MLS Stadium Site

Beckham meets with county commissioners to discuss stadium site options

David Beckham was back in Miami Wednesday as he continues his hunt for a location for his Major League Soccer Team's stadium.

Beckham met with Miami-Dade County Commissioners to discuss the possibility of a stadium site that would be created by filing a large boat slip between Museum Park and the AmericanAirlines Arena.

The boat slip option was proposed earlier this week by Mayor Carlos Gimenez, following recent criticism of the first proposed site at PortMiami.

"It's very exciting, it gives us another option, it gives us another location which has come out of the blue, which it's gone from having one great possible location to two," Beckham told reporters Wednesday. "We're very happy."

Beckham wouldn't say which of the two options he prefers but said either way, it won't impact the size of the stadium.

"We still want to build a stadium that seats 20, 25, possibly 30,000, but I'd take a 25,000 seat stadium in an iconic location," Beckham said. "One of the reasons why we've always said we love the Port of Miami is in my eyes it fits the vision of what we want to create and what we want to create for the people of Miami and the city of Miami."

Several groups have come out against using the PortMiami site for a new stadium, most notably Royal Caribbean Cruises. Royal Caribbean would have been located next door to the planned PortMiami stadium.

"I'm an Englishman, I've been welcomed into Miami with open arms so far, I don't want to be a negative for this city, I don't want to be a negative for Miami," Beckham said.

Lots of regulatory hoops and $12-14 million are needed to fill the slip. The Beckham group would pay for the filling in of the area. Beckham has promised to build the new stadium with private funds, and also won a state subsidy in the legislative session that ended last Friday.

Beckham said his group understands the concerns but said he's received lots of support.

"Overwhelmingly we have the support of, in my eyes, 99 percent of the people that I've seen, the people I've sat down and had meetings with," Beckham said.

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