By DAN KARELL
The opposition group to David Beckham’s proposed stadium on land at the Port of Miami is continuing to grow.
Thirteen local mayors and vice-mayors in Miami-Dade County have signed a letter to join the Miami Seaport Alliance, a group that opposes Beckham’s plan to build a soccer-specific stadium on the southwest corner of PortMiami. Led by president John Fox, the Miami Seaport Alliance includes Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, the Florida Foreign Trade Association and the Latin American Business Association.
“The alliance is pleased to welcome these 13 mayors and vice mayors to our expanding list of members. These community leaders have identified that a port stadium could put our county’s second-largest economic engine at risk and we look forward to working with them to ensure the long-term success of PortMiami,” Fox said.
On April 25, the Miami Seaport Alliance announced that they have begun an advertising campaign on TV, Radio, and the web that focuses on “presenting key facts about the proposed soccer stadium at PortMiami.”
“These mayors and vice mayors join me in opposition to a stadium at PortMiami because of the risks it would pose to jobs, security, and cruise and cargo operations,” Town of Cutler Bay Mayor Ed MacDougall said. “As community leaders, we look forward to advocating with our fellow alliance members for port property to be used only for port-related development.”
This news is certainly not positive for Beckham and his potential MLS ownership group, though it’s not necessarily a huge blow to their stadium search.
Beckham and his representatives are still locked in negotiations over a stadium site with Miami mayor Carlos Gimenez’s administration and both Gimenez and Beckham’s representatives have said that opposition to the proposed stadium is “premature” without any specifics in place, according to the Miami Herald.
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What do you think of this news? Do you see Beckham considering another site? Think it’s premature for there to be opposition?
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