The developers of Miami Freedom Park, that real estate complex that comes with a soccer stadium on the grounds of what once was the Melreese Golf Course, want to get out of the $20 million they once promised to spend upgrading and enhancing city parks as part of its sweet deal approved in 2022.
And they got Mayor Francis Suarez to do their dirty work.
Suarez has proposed the establishment of a new special revenue account titled “Park Fund for Miami Freedom Park,” that would use allocated funds exclusively for improvements and maintenance of the 58 acre pubic park” that is part of the complex to be developed by Miami Freedom Park, LLC, which is basically David Beckham and brothers Jorge and Jose Mas, who also own the Inter Miami team. The city said that MFP has already made the first of two $10 million payments for this new special account.
Oh, so special.
Suarez is going to ask Miami Commissioners to let MFP off the hook at Thursday’s meeting. This comes about month after the city put the developers on notice for not paying the second half of their promised park funding and withheld the master permit for the site of the $1 billion development, a retail and office park with restaurants, a 750-room hotel and, oh yeah, a 25,000-seat stadium that will host games for the Inter Miami team.
Read related: Miami Freedom Park scores yes vote for massive stadium real estate complex
This is a bait and switch. Because the development agreement reached in April 2022 in a historic vote for a 99-year lease stipulated that the developers would donate $20 million to be used “for improvements to public parks or acquisition of public parks within the city of Miami.” Not for Miami Freedom Park, but other parks citywide. Commissioner Joe Carollo asked for that. Of the $25 million given to the city in exchange for the pleasure of developing the property and making millions of dollars, $20 million would go to city parks and $5 million would go to the Baywalk on the Miami River and Biscayne Bay.
At least that is what everybody thought. These were even campaign promises made for the referendum vote in 2018 where voters gave the city the green light to begin negotiations. These park improvement funds were one of the alleged public benefits.
Now the $20 million is going to their own project?
What’s next? Maybe they don’t want to make the park 58 acres. Maybe it’s good enough at 35 acres.
Maybe they won’t create 15,000 “direct or indirect jobs” (minus the dozen lobbyists) or the 2,000 permanent jobs that were promised. That was just a ballpark figure.
Maybe they won’t be able to pay the $4.3 million in annual guaranteed rent. I mean, the economy, right?
Read related: Marlins Park’s David Samson: Miami Freedom Park is a ‘billion dollar heist’
These were some of the other things that were promised when the Miami Freedom Park developers were trying to get the deal. They even said they would bear all the costs of maintaining the roads, lights, sidewalks and benches at the new 58-acre park it would pay to build. Now they want their $20 million back to do it.
Back then, Jorge Mas said there was “no public subsidy” — even though developers did get an $8 million state grant for infrastructure last year.
“There is significant economic benefit from tax revenue and new jobs,” Mas said at the April 2022 meeting “And I have to deliver the public benefits first.”
Before or after he takes back the $20 million he promised?
Miami Freedom Park developers want their $20 million parks donation back added by Ladra on
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