Billion-Dollar Vision For Miami Soccer

MIAMI, FL — After a six-day reset, Miami Commissioners are once again expected to take up a voter referendum on the proposed billion-dollar Miami Freedom Park soccer stadium and entertainment complex. The commissioners plan to convene a special meeting at 10 a.m. Wednesday to consider the project on Miami's only city-owned golf course. The land would be leased to a group led by Miami businessman Jorge Mas and soccer legend David Beckham ahead of Miami's new Major League Soccer team set to debut in 2020.

"This project will require zero taxpayer dollars," Mas declared in outlining the project to Miami elected officials last week. "We don't want a subsidy. We don't want a giveaway. We don't want absolutely anything. We want to give to the city and create what does not exist today."

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Since the land that would be used for the complex is the city-owned Melreese Country Club — a public space run by a private contractor — Miami voters will be asked to decide if they want the soccer complex built on the proposed location. The site is home to Miami's popular First Tee youth golf program, which would have to move elsewhere. Dozens of orange-shirted supporters of the golf program opposed the change last week during a public hearing on Freedom Park.

See also Critics Fear Golf Program Won't Survive Soccer and Miami Delays Decision On David Beckham's Soccer Stadium

Eugene Ramirez, director of of the Miami Office of Communications, told Patch that there will not be an additional public comment period during Wednesday's meeting.

According to plans outlined by Mas, Freedom Park would include a 25,000-seat soccer stadium, food and beverage/retail district, rooftop soccer fields, sculpture park, pedestrian bridge, tech hub and office space, outdoor digital media screen, amphiteater, kids' playground, skate park, farm-to-table park restaurant, baseball complex and water park.

The 110-acre Freedom Park would also include 23 acres of youth soccer fields. The site is located near Miami International Airport.

"We have a group of men and entitiies that want to invest in our city, that want to bring highpaying jobs, that want to bring a project like this. We should open our arms to the people who want to do this here," said Mas.

His group wants to pay $3.6 million per year in rent after a one-time $20 million gift to the city upon activation of the park in installments spread over 30 years.

"This will create 11,000 jobs over the next three years for the construction of this project, and it will create 2,300 permanent jobs," said Mas.

The total payroll for those jobs would amount to $106 million, Mas explained.

"I think that's an important, important factor that we have to consider in bringing a project such like this to South Florida," he said. "It brings $5.8 million into the city of Miami, $11 million to Dade County, $23 million to the state of Florida primarily in sales taxes and $3.8 million to the school board. This is a year, annually."

One potential challenge involves the removal of contaminated soil from the site, which dates back decades. The full extent of the cost of that remediation was unclear but Mas assured city officials that his group will pay for those costs based on preliminary estimates.

Some city officials also said they want to consider a potential revenue-sharing model for the project.

Mas became emotional as he described how he came up with the Freedom Park name following a promise he made to his father regarding the city's landmark Freedom Tower.

"In 1997 we drove in front of the Freedom Tower when my father was ill," Mas said, choking back tears. "That was a symbol for the Cuban-American community and I told my father, 'We will restore it.' I bought Freedom Tower. I spent $30 million restoring that for our city. I gave it to Miami-Dade College so it can live forever. That's what my family is about."

Watch as Miami businessman Jorge Mas discusses his proposed Freedom Park below:

Jorge Mas confers with an associate at Thursday's meeting at Miami City Hall. Photo by Paul Scicchitano. Images of Freedom Park courtesy city of Miami.