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Miami City Commissioners to Begin Working on Language for Soccer Stadium Amendment on November Ballot

What to Know

  • Commissioners voted in July to approve putting the measure on the upcoming ballot by a 3-2 vote – a vote needed due to a city charter rule.
  • The 99-year lease would allow David Beckham and businessman Jorge Mas to build a massive complex that would include a 28,000 seat stadium.

Miami city commissioners will meet Monday to begin working on the wording for a ballot measure this November to let voters decide whether they can follow through with a plan to negotiate exclusively with a group led by soccer superstar David Beckham for a plan to turn a long time golf course into the site of a future stadium and multi-use complex.

Commissioners voted in July to approve putting the measure on the upcoming ballot by a 3-2 vote – a vote that was needed due to a city charter rule that requires commissioners to open the process to anyone who wants to make a bid.

City officials, including Mayor Francis Suarez, have been vocal in their support of a plan by the Beckham group to lease the land currently housing the Melreese Country Club located near Miami International Airport.

The 99-year lease would allow Beckham and businessman Jorge Mas to build a massive complex that would include a 28,000 seat stadium for a future Major League Soccer franchise, as well as youth soccer fields and spaces for retail shops, hotels and offices.

Miami resident William Muir filed a lawsuit, naming Suarez and several other city officials as defendants in the case while arguing they are ignoring mandatory parts of the city charter if such a stadium deal is approved and that the public was not given enough notice or an opportunity to bid on a piece of public property.

The proposed stadium is also being opposed by members of the community who participate in the First Tee program based out of the course, which has been in operation since the 1940s.

The search for a soccer home for the future franchise has been years in the making – with past sites near Marlins Park, PortMiami and the AmericanAirlines Arena all not working out for a variety of reasons.

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