David Beckham, Jorge Mas Declare Victory On Miami Freedom Park Vote
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Voters in the City of Miami have seemingly made their opinions known and they want a soccer stadium.
David Beckham and Jorge Mas are declaring victory in their efforts to build a brand new soccer stadium in Miami and the Associated Press is projecting the same result.
After five years seeking a stadium site, Beckham and his partners at the Beckham Group settled on part of the Miami-owned Melreese Golf complex.
They want a lengthy lease and a no-bid deal, paying the city a minimum of $3.6 million a year for a long as 99 years.
The catch: city land for private use had to be approved by voters.
Beckham and partner Jorge Mas paid a visit to some Miami polling sites Tuesday.
"Yea we're ready. Obviously, we've done a huge amount of work. The teams have done an incredible job up until this point. It's been a long journey we are very proud of what we are presenting and are excited to hear the result," said Beckham at his first stop in Overtown.
"We are very passionate about this and we're very passionate about what we want to give back to the city. The legacy, giving a legacy to the city and to inspire young kids. It's what we all want to do and it's what we want for our children and it's what we want for your children and everyone in this city because it's an inspirational place and I'm proud to be a part of it and proud to have the partners I have," said Beckham.
WATCH BECKHAM'S INTERVIEW HERE
The Miami Freedom Park proposal including the construction of a 28,000-seat soccer stadium and surrounding sports complex on land next to Miami International Airport.
It's a project Beckham is proud to be a part of.
"I've had so much support since day one and that was five and a half years ago. People have turned to me and said, 'Did you ever want to walk away?' 'No', there were moments when I thought maybe it's not going to happen, maybe it is going to happen, but I never wanted to walk away. I never was going to because I knew the support I had since day one has been incredible and I wasn't going to walk away from the fans in Miami and I knew they weren't going to walk away from me."
WATCH INTERVIEW WITH BECKHAM PARTNER JORGE MAS
The Miami Freedom Park proposal already faced a lawsuit that was dismissed by a Florida judge, as some residents are not happy about potentially losing the land, which is currently occupied by Melreese Country Club.