With the first two choices for a stadium site rejected by Miami and Miami-Dade County, those working on a David Beckham MLS bid are looking for a Plan C when it comes to a new-stadium location.
Miami-Dade County rejected a Port of Miami site for a new stadium, and Miami followed up by rejected a location at a disused slip on the waterfront, north of American Airlines Arena. That’s left Beckham and his investors, which include American Idol creator Simon Fuller, looking for a new location.
Downtown Miami is still the preferred location for hosting the Beckham MLS bid, according to a statement put out today by the investment group:
“We don’t discuss specifics of proposals. Miami is our preferred choice and we are working hard to give the people of the city what they want and deserve, however, we have always said that there are other cities that would welcome an MLS club owned by David and his partners.”
Those cities would include one in Palm Beach County, where officials would love to see an MLS team playing out of the 30,000-seat FAU Stadium at Florida Atlantic in Boca Raton. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission has approached MLS about hosting a team, but nothing has come of that interest. FIU has been mentioned as a potential home for an MLS team, as has a potential new construction at Gulfstream Park. And, of course, there’s the elephant in the room: a new stadium at the old Orange Bowl site, clearly the preferred location for city officials.
