noticias
DeSantis grants $8 million to the Inter Miami CF stadium project
Aug 13, 2024
Miami Freedom Park, the future soccer stadium of Inter Miami CF and a large mixed-use development, received $8 million from Governor Ron DeSantis.
The money from Florida's Job Growth Grant Fund will assist with the infrastructure around the stadium, including the construction of a road. DeSantis said that the Miami Freedom Park Drive project is worth it due to the number of jobs and traffic it will create.
"Our role in state government is not to give money to a team... but to create an environment where everyone can succeed, and infrastructure is a big part of that," he said at a press conference on August 8 at Chase Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the current home of Inter Miami CF.
A statement from DeSantis' office claimed that the grant will help to "expand business opportunities in the park and create more than 1,800 jobs."
"Not only will there be soccer matches, but there will also be other events at the stadium," the governor added. "We don't want a situation where people can't attend."
The Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works requested the state grant after county commissioners approved a resolution sponsored by Commissioner Kevin Cabrera on April 2.
The Miami Freedom Park project, approximately 131 acres and $400 million, will include a Major League Soccer stadium with 21,130 seats, as well as 600,000 square feet of commercial and entertainment space, 750 hotel rooms, a 400,000 square foot tech district, a municipal administration building for the city of Miami, 5,530 parking spaces, and a 58-acre park, according to the county's application.
Miami Freedom Park is being built on what used to be the Melreese golf course, city-owned, by Inter Miami CF. The MLS team is majority-owned by Jorge and José Mas, the top executives of the Coral Gables-based infrastructure and engineering firm MasTec (NYSE: MZT). Inter Miami CF received a 99-year lease to build Miami Freedom Park on the golf course in April 2022, following a voter referendum.
Managing owner Jorge Mas said that the project will create 13,000 direct and indirect jobs and generate $40 million in state and local taxes.
The Mas brothers gained a majority stake in Miami CF after purchasing shares from SoftBank executives Marcelo Claure and Masayoshi Son in September 2021. Since then, the team has attracted a roster that includes Argentine soccer superstar Lionel Messi. Retired footballer David Beckham is a co-owner of the franchise.
The park will be named after the Mas brothers' father, the late Jorge Mas Canosa, founder of the Cuban American National Foundation, who transformed the underground utility company Church & Tower into MasTec.
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