David Beckham’s investment group wants state funding for a Major League Soccer stadium in Miami and has hired a powerful lobbyist to pursue it.
Miami Beckham United retained Tallahassee lobbyist Brian Ballard to seek a state sales-tax subsidy in line with what other professional sports teams in Florida receive for constructing new stadiums, the Miami Herald reported. Ballard declined to disclose how much funding the group would request. The Miami Dolphins got a $2 million annual subsidy for 30 years after 1990s renovations to Sun Life Stadium so the facility could also be used for baseball.
Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez got the go-ahead from county commissioners to start negotiating with Beckham and his representatives over potential stadium sites last month. Discussions have not commenced.
A site in the southwest section of the Biscayne Bay seaport PortMiami is believed to be the favorite for a stadium location. [Miami Herald] — Eric Kalis