Miami Mayor Francis Suarez and Jorge Mas, managing owner of the MLS team, say they have a deal for a new Inter Miami FC stadium and associated development at the city-owned Melreese golf course.
The billion-dollar Miami Freedom Park development would include the new Inter Miami CF stadium, a hotel, park space and a shopping mall. With this agreement, the City Commission could vote on the proposal before the end of the month. The two sides had expected to finalized negotiations in May 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic out a pause on those talks until last fall. From the Miami Herald’s Michelle Kaufman:
“I think the dream of bringing a state-of-the-art soccer-specific stadium to Miami is very close,” said Mas, reached in Vail, Colordao, where he is on a family ski vacation. “I look forward to getting the green light from the commission shortly so we can do the hard part, which is building the project.
“I am super excited. I’m very optimistic we’ll be able to pull four votes. It’s not done until it’s done, but we wouldn’t be bringing something to the commission if we didn’t think it could pass.”
Mas, an eternal optimist, hopes to break ground in fall of this year and open the 27,000-28,000-seat stadium in late 2024. Covering soccer in a Miami stadium in two years would be great, but something tells me there will be further hurdles and delays.
It’s been a long road for a new Inter Miami CF stadium, to be sure, but the signs are there finally supporting the project.
Rendering courtesy Inter Miami CF.
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