Amid Pushback At Melreese, David Beckham To Apply For Inter Miami FC Stadium Approval At Overtown Assemblage

The advancement of plans to build a stadium for Miami’s newest professional sports team, Inter Miami FC, is not going well amid pushback over the referendum to allow major developers to redevelop Melreese Golf Course into an office pack with a soccer stadium. At least 2 city commissioners are now fully against the redevelopment bid, known as Freedom Park, which would see one of Miami’s last public parks and public golf courses redeveloped into a $1 billion mixed-use development including office space, retail and commercial space. David Beckham and his partners will now move ahead with one of their original plans to purchase county-owned land in Overtown. The sale of the land was originally contested as well as the land was sold based on the state of Florida's Economic-Development Law as a no-bid sale and was never offered to other buyers. The group is now working to close on the Overtown land and obtain approval for a stadium there via a lengthy and expensive process which will require the developers to outline of stadium use and job creation.

Extortion & MLS Manipulation: Inside Kevin Tomlinson Vs. The Jills Legal Battle

The drama has now wrapped up in a high-profile legal drama between real estate broker big-wigs Kevin Tomlinson of ONE Sotheby's International Realty vs. The Jills of Coldwell Banker, led by Jill Eber and Jill Hertzberg. While the legal proceedings have wrapped up, this is a case where there are no winners. Tomlinson was sentenced in August 2018 to an extended period of probation and has been banned from the real estate industry after being convicted on 2 counts of extortion. Tomlinson had threatened to expose The Jills for manipulation of Multiple Listing Service (MLS) property sales data unless they paid him $800,000 to keep quiet. Tomlinson will now endure 2 years of probation with an ankle monitor followed by an additional 15 years of probation. Tomlinson had faced 30 years in jail for his actions.

In the Tomlinson vs. The Jills case, The Jills took full responsibility for the manipulation, pinning the actions on a rogue employee, Juan Carlos Otoya, and claiming that they were unaware and don't use the MLS. The Jills had manipulated listings on the MLS 552 times between 2011 and 2015, erasing 23,740 days on market from the firm's listings sales velocity on over $372 million worth of property. Tomlinson had filed a complaint with the Miami Association of Realtors in regards to The Jill's inflated sales data. Despite the admission, neither Otoya nor The Jills have been punished or further investigated and it is believed that the drama behind the Tomlinson extortion case has overshadowed the MLS manipulation complaint. 

Unexplored in the court proceedings, should The Jills have known of the manipulation, using the manipulated data to secure listings could constitute as fraud, defined "as the the wrongful or criminal deception intended to result in financial or personal gain." While the manipulation of MLS data can make a realtor look good to prospective clients, both buyers and sellers alike, the manipulation of MLS data can also effect everything down the line in the real estate industry such as home appraisal value, mortgages, and the accuracy of comparable sales data, which can be used from everything previously mentioned to an buyer's fair ability to make the proper choice of property and offer price based on data backed to be accurate. Additionally, their statements under oath that they were unaware of the manipulation could constitute perjury should they have made any references to the manipulated data previously during either showing, listing appointment or negotiation. There is currently no investigation made public into the matter.  

Beckham Turns His Sights To Redevelop Melreese Golf Course Into Office Space Masking Proposal As "Public Park"

Be careful what you wish for. Activists who brought lawsuits against David Beckham's Overtown Soccer Stadium proposal may have derailed that initiative which would have energized the Overtown community. The developers of a proposal led by David Beckham known as Miami Freedom Park now seek to remove one of Miami's last affordable public golf courses, Melreese Country Club, home of "The First Tee Miami,"one of the most respected youth golf organizations in South Florida serving individuals of all ages, capabilities, and backgrounds; in exchange for developing over 1 billion SF on the site if the proposal passes. The proposal includes 400K SF of office space and 600K SF of  restaurant, retail and entertainment space; along with 750 hotel rooms and a 25,000 seat soccer stadium with only 3,750 parking spaces. A 400,000 SF office park would be one of the largest office parks in the United States of America. 

Mayor Francis Suarez has received both praise and backlash on Twitter after his tweet:

"Wow. A beautiful vision! 110 acres of true green public space open and accessible for our neighbors! This will be a vibrant park, entertainment complex, and soccer facility for ALL Miamians. #FutbolMiami" - @FrancisSuarez

Many of the proponents of the proposal are backing the soccer aspect of the proposal, but do not mention that the 110 acres of true green public space. Other bring to attention that the proposal is an office park, not a public park as Mayor Suarez had stated. Additionally the sit is a former waste dump and is only maintained to keep golfers safe but not for real estate development. The costs to clean the land would be astronomical to the city. What would happen should the proposal go through would be the city would lose its biggest public park (Melreese Golf Course), traffic would build up around the airport and the city would get hit with massive bills in which they would issue debt to cover as the $20 million contribution from the development is paid over 30 years and has a net present value near $4 million. The partnership of developers is in a rush to try to get the public to vote by pushing the potential of bringing pro soccer to Miami without even having a full developed plan to move forward with the proposal and would remove any leverage the city would have. ‏The project is expected to cost over $1 billion. 

David Beckham's Plans for MLS Stadium Not Going Smoothly

MLS has wanted a stadium in the heart of Miami since the 90s to build its Latin and youth fan base. There have been several incarnations of professional soccer teams in South Florida, but none managed to navigate the political waters of Miami successfully. 

Marcelo Claure, CEO of Sprint and Beckham’s partner said, “We have to put the team where it is accessible to them. So many Latin Americans and Europeans live here, it doesn’t seem right that we don’t have a soccer team.”

Beckham partnered with Claure, Jorge and Jose Mas, and Simon Fuller (creator of American Idol) to launch the franchise in January. They face a number of challenges before they can open the stadium, whose opening is scheduled for 2021. 

Now, David Beckham is facing opposition not from the city, but from activist and landowner Bruce Matheson. Court records indicate that Matheson sued the county to block the proposed stadium in Overtown, and is now appealing a judge’s ruling that threw out his lawsuit in October. He alleges that Miami-Dade County gave Beckham “a secret discount from the taxpayers” in their no-bid, $9 million deal for three acres of county-owned land. 

Beckham’s deal, which was based on appraisals from late 2015, but was approved in 2017, comes out to about $74 a square foot. In 2016, land was selling for $142 per square foot. Commissioners approved the deal, on the condition that Beckham and his partners spend $175 million on the stadium’s construction. Beckham and his partners have yet to close the deal and to secure land-use changes and new zoning.

The residents of Overtown are uneasy in light of community activists posting fake eviction notices in the neighborhood. The notice was actually an ad for a community meeting to discuss the future of public housing around the stadium. Public Housing Director Michael Liu said, “There are no plans to evict. We want to have the best possible housing for people in public housing.” Residents are skeptical, though. The future of Beckham’s MLS Miami stadium is uncertain. 

Article by Katya Demina

Lawsuit Filed Against David Beckham & Miami's Proposed Overtown MLS Stadium

Despite the success of El Clasico Miami, yet another delay has hit David Beckham and Miami's future MLS stadium which has been proposed in Overtown. Bruce Matheson has 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 a $9 million sale of 3 acres as part of the assemblage, 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. Bruce Matheson has previously blocked the expansion of the Miami Open on Key Biscayne and his antics have begun to frustrate city officials who allege that Matheson's goals seem to be to drive professional sports out of Miami. County commissioners originally approved the sale on June 6 and Beckham expects to receive league approval to officially launch Miami's franchise in August (2017).

David Beckham & Miami Beckham United to Make Major Announcement on MLS Franchise by End of 2016

David Beckham is pushing on in his quest to bring an MLS team to Miami and it seems that the potential new team's inaugural season may be 2019. Miami Beckham United, the corporate entity owned by Beckham and his partners, aims to make a major announcement by year end. Delays have come from continued negotiations from investor groups, including with the Milwaukee Bucks co-owner. Miami Beckham United 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 Miami Beckham United announced that they had executed sales contracts on a nine-acre property in Overtown which was formerlly a Miami-Dade Water and Sewer truck depot. They have been opposed to starting the team in a temporary stadium in favor of the 25,000 seat home stadium. Beckham was originally given the option to purchase an MLS franchise when he signed with the L.A. Galaxy in 2007. He had originally sought to bring the team to Port of Miami next to American Airlines Arena as well as in Little Havana next tot Marlins Park. Talks for both scenarios broke down.