David Beckham and his partners have made a $450,000 downpayment to Miami-Dade ahead of their September 10th deadline as they move to complete the purchase of the final 3 acres of their 9 acre assemblage in Overtown to bring Miami their future MLS stadium and inaugural franchise. Beckham and his partners are looking to finalize the purchase of the final 3 acres of land currently owned by Miami-Dade via the Water and Sewer Department adjacent to the 6 acres already owned by Beckham. Beckham will not ask for local subsidies to either build or operate the stadium. They also have said they plan to pay full property tax on the land as well as the venue. On December 4, 2015 Beckham and his partners announced that they had executed sales contracts on a nine-acre property in Overtown which was formerly a Miami-Dade Water and Sewer truck depot. Beckham was originally given the option to purchase an MLS franchise when he signed with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007.
Last month we reported that Bruce Matheson had filed a lawsuit against Miami-Dade County, challenging the future use of the land on the basis of its acquisition. Matheson's suit aims to stop the $9 million sale of 3 acres which was sold based on the state of Florida's Economic-Development Law as a no-bid sale and was never offered to other buyers. Matheson has historically been opposed to sport and recreation in Miami, putting the future of the Miami Open in limbo by blocking an expansion to the stadium on Key Biscayne. Miami city officials allege that Matheson's goals seem to be to drive professional sports out of Miami. County commissioners originally approved the sale on June 6 (2017) and Beckham received league approval to officially launch Miami's franchise in August (2017). A hearing is scheduled for October 2017.
