Miami, FL

The Beckham Boondoggle? The fight against Inter Miami’s stadium ‘landgrab’

Published

3 years ago

April 23, 2022

The Beckham Boondoggle? The fight against Inter Miami’s stadium ‘landgrab’

The twentieth anniversary of the movie Bend It Like Beckham has been extensively celebrated this month, however an unauthorized sequel of kinds is making waves in Miami.

The mini-documentary, crassly tag-lined ‘Don’t Bend Over For Beckham’, isn’t precisely canon. It’s much less the seminal story of feminine footballers that impressed a era, and extra a castigation of what critics name a “billion-dollar actual property heist” by the house owners of Beckham’s Inter Miami soccer franchise – all below the guise of one other stadium mission involving public land and the taxpayer’s purse.

“Soccer is the shiny object, it’s the distraction right here. It’s the loss chief for a land seize of the most important parcel of property owned by the individuals of the town of Miami,” the filmmaker and Miami native Billy Corben tells the Guardian.

Metropolis commissioners will vote subsequent week on a pre-negotiated settlement to develop 131 acres of Melreese Park, close to Miami Worldwide Airport. A ‘Sure’ vote would primarily inexperienced mild the Miami Freedom Park and Soccer Village mission.

The imaginative and prescient contains an workplace and retail complicated, a 750-room lodge and, sure, a 25,000-seater stadium for the third-year MLS franchise. The staff presently performs at a short lived (but moderately good) area 33 miles away in Fort Lauderdale.

“They might simply construct a stadium on the property they personal in Overtown,” Corben says, referring to a beforehand most popular website close to downtown Miami. “The issue is, it’s solely adequate for a stadium and a few parking, and that’s not the plan right here. It’s an actual property hustle.”

The staff – fronted by Beckham, however backed primarily by native engineering tycoon Jorge Mas – factors out the enterprise is 100% privately funded by the membership’s possession, in contrast to different high-profile stadium initiatives.

In an announcement, Inter Miami informed the Guardian: “The staff is conscious of a social media marketing campaign aiming to disinform and confuse the general public in regards to the influence the Miami Freedom Park mission can have on the Metropolis and its residents. We imagine that everybody has the simple proper to count on well timed, truthful, and correct data.”

The membership goes on to say the deal will contribute $2.6bn in lease and $6.3bn in taxes over the 99-year lease, whereas producing $11bn for the native economic system within the first 30 years. The staff pledges over 15,000 jobs, paying at the least $15 per hour, and vows to create the “single largest park within the Metropolis of Miami”. Inter Miami will foot the invoice for decontaminating the land to make this so.

But that’s solely half the image, opponents say. The settlement with the town is for a no-bid lease, which means different suitors couldn’t compete. In the meantime, the proposed $3.5m annual lease is predicated upon an appraisal carried out in 2018 – earlier than native rents soared exponentially. Lease funds additionally gained’t be due in full till the stadium is full. As soon as the lease is signed, future earnings from the event will likely be overwhelmingly skewed in favor of the perpetual tenant. Opponents say the deal leaves a whole lot of thousands and thousands of {dollars} on the desk, which might enhance the tax coffers of one of many poorest cities within the nation, as an alternative of billionaires like Mas.

The Scooby-Doo second of Corben’s provocative brief movie reveals David P Samson because the scathing narrator. He’s the previous baseball govt who negotiated the legendarily lopsided deal to construct Marlins Park with public cash.

“When Clarice Starling was going after Buffalo Invoice, she went to Hannibal Lecter for assist, in order that’s what I did,” says Corben, who additionally directed the documentary Cocaine Cowboys and ESPN 30 for 30’s The U.

Throughout his voiceover, Samson attests the Melreese Park deal is even worse than one he negotiated with the town. “Take it from me,” he says, “somebody who really negotiated together with your politicians and virtually single-handedly ended stadium public financing… Virtually.”

In a follow-up interview Samson defined: “Marlins Park was a baseball stadium deal, Melreese Park is an actual property deal. I really feel like individuals weren’t understanding that.

“There was not one greenback of cash within the Marlins Park deal that might have been used for academics, or police, or hearth. It got here from current tax income from vacationers. We didn’t take cash from every other pot,” he claims. “With the Melreese deal there’s an incredible quantity of alternative value the town of Miami is leaving on the desk as a result of the worth of the land for builders is a lot higher.”

On this occasion, the aggressive bidding course of – required by the town’s constitution – was circumvented by a referendum of metropolis residents, who granted permission for the native authorities to barter with Inter Miami. They haven’t authorized the ensuing settlement and gained’t be requested to. As a substitute, it rests on 4 of the 5 metropolis commissioners to sign-off, and Manolo Reyes is the one one brazenly towards it.

He describes the stadium describes as “the bait for individuals to vote for creating that land” and says legal professionals representing the town in negotiations reported a staggering 28 excellent points with the proposal.

“I don’t know the way anybody can vote in favor of this contract when our personal attorneys are saying the deal isn’t good,” he stated in an interview. “This contract is extraordinarily favorable to the Mas household; within the quantity that they’re paying and all the opposite advantages they’re receiving.”

Reyes desires the deal torn up so the town can pursue higher phrases. Or, higher nonetheless, preserve Melreese Park because the inexperienced area and golf course that home’s the town’s First Tee program. It mentors underprivileged youths via golf and supplies faculty scholarships.

Corben, although, isn’t on some campaign to avoid wasting a golf course. For him, the movie is about stopping the most recent Miami sports activities “boondoggle”, from what he calls “oligarch” staff house owners. It’s a name to motion for the town’s residents to demand a extra clear course of.

“We’re infamous in south Florida and all through the USA for making a number of the worst sports activities welfare offers in historical past,” he provides. “I imagine David Beckham got here right here, to some extent, in good religion. I feel he simply desires soccer. He was on the lookout for properties the place he might simply put a soccer stadium and a few parking heaps.

“When Jorge Mas intervened, he needed to make it an actual property hustle and he recruited David Beckham into this boondoggle. I feel it’s been extremely embarrassing for them.”

The movie, which has already amassed round 350,000 views, reserves essentially the most ire for elected officers just like the mission’s key cheerleader, Miami mayor Francis Suarez, and metropolis supervisor Arthur Noriega, who dealt with the negotiations. “These individuals are unwell outfitted to barter the most important actual property deal within the historical past of Miami,” Corben says.

“I don’t begrudge them [Beckham and Mas] attempting to barter the perfect deal they probably can. That’s their job and duty to their staff. However I wish to know who’s representing the taxpayers and residents who personal that property.”

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Miami, FL

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Published

50 mins ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

ACC power rankings: CFP hopefuls SMU, Miami, Clemson remain on top after Week 13

Last Saturday was a day of relative chaos in college football.

Seven of the top 25 teams in the US LBM Coaches Poll lost, with much of the carnage occurring in the SEC, where three top-15 teams fell, all to unranked opponents.

If there’s a conference that stands to benefit the most from that mayhem, it just might be the ACC, which now has a conceivable path to getting two teams into the 12-team College Football Playoff. Its three most likely entrants — SMU, Miami and Clemson — held up their end of the bargain with comfortable victories Saturday against Virginia, Wake Forest and The Citadel, respectively.

But what does the rest of the league look like?

Here’s how the ACC’s 17 teams stack up after Week 13 of the 2024 college football season:

ACC football power rankings

1. SMU (10-1, 7-0 ACC)

Last week: 1
This week: vs. Cal

The Mustangs’ 33-7 win at Virginia was the eighth victory in a row for coach Rhett Lashlee’s team and clinched it a spot in the ACC championship game. A win against Cal at home on Saturday would give SMU its second-consecutive season with at least 11 wins — a mark it hadn’t previously reached since 1982.

2. Miami (10-1, 6-1)

Last week: 2
This week: at Syracuse

In their first game since a gutting loss at Georgia Tech, the Hurricanes pulled away late from Wake Forest, scoring 22 unanswered points in the final eight minutes for a 42-14 victory. With a win at Syracuse, Miami will earn just its second-ever trip to the ACC championship game, a surprisingly rare appearance for a program of its historical caliber.

3. Clemson (9-2, 7-1)

Last week: 3
This week: vs. No 14 South Carolina

The Tigers are done with ACC play and can make the conference championship game if Miami loses at Syracuse. Even if they don’t make it to Charlotte, a win against rival South Carolina would give them not only in-state bragging rights, but it would keep their playoff hopes alive, with a 10-2 overall record.

4. Syracuse (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 4
This week: vs. No. 7 Miami

The Orange’s 31-24 victory against UConn gave it at least eight wins for the fourth time since 2010. With 470 yards against the Huskies, Kyle McCord broke the program’s single-season passing yardage record. Syracuse can cap off what has been a strong first season for coach Fran Brown with a win against Miami that would shake up the national playoff picture.

5. Louisville (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 7
This week: at Kentucky

The Cardinals’ loss to Stanford in Week 12 was as ugly a setback as a ranked team has endured this season, but they bounced back by throttling Pitt 37-9. Louisville nearly doubled the Panthers in total yardage, 507-265. Now, it will try to snap a five-game losing streak to rival Kentucky.

6. Georgia Tech (7-4, 5-3)

Last week: 5
This week: vs. No. 6 Georgia

The Yellow Jackets held on for a 30-29 victory against NC State, assuring them of back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in 10 years. They racked up nearly 400 yards of total offense despite playing much of the game with backup Aaron Philo at quarterback. Next up? Their annual rivalry game against Georgia.

7. Duke (8-3, 4-3)

Last week: 6
This week: at Wake Forest

The Blue Devils have thrived in close games this season, with five of their eight wins coming by a single score following a 31-28 victory against Virginia Tech. They can pick up a ninth win on Saturday against a struggling Wake Forest team. It would be the fourth time since 2013 that Duke had won at least nine games, something it hadn’t previously done since its 1941 Rose Bowl season.

8. Pitt (7-4, 3-4)

Last week: 9
This week: at Boston College

The Panthers have lost four in a row since a 7-0 start that shot them up to No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. The latest setback was a 28-point dismantling at the hands of Louisville, a game in which Pitt lost starting quarterback Eli Holstein to a nasty-looking leg injury in the first quarter.

9. Boston College (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 12
This week: vs. Pitt

The Eagles rolled past North Carolina 41-21 after holding the Tar Heels to 212 total yards and forcing three turnovers. The win got Boston College to bowl eligibility in its first season under coach Bill O’Brien.

10. North Carolina (6-5, 3-4)

Last week: 8
This week: vs. NC State

The Tar Heels’ three-game win streak got snapped in unsightly fashion, with a 20-point loss to Boston College in a game in which quarterback Jacolby Criswell threw three interceptions. The setback came days after 247Sports reported that 73-year-old coach Mack Brown plans to remain at North Carolina beyond this season.

11. Cal (6-5, 2-3)

Last week: 15
This week: at No. 9 SMU

The Golden Bears have had some tough luck in their first season in the ACC, with five one-score losses in conference play, but they’re ending the season on a strong note. Cal has won three of its past four games and became bowl eligible with a win over rival Stanford.

12. Virginia Tech (5-6, 3-4)

Last week: 11

This week: vs. Virginia

Since getting to 5-3 and seemingly putting its early season disappointments behind it, the Hokies have come undone, with three consecutive losses after a 31-28 defeat against Duke. It was Virginia Tech’s fifth one-score loss this season. Coach Brent Pry’s team will need a win against rival Virginia to earn bowl eligibility.

13. Virginia (5-5, 2-4)

Last week: 10
This week: at Virginia Tech

A difficult final stretch of their schedule has worn on the Cavaliers, who have lost five of their past six games after a 4-1 start. Four of those six matchups came against teams that were ranked at the time. Virginia was held to just 173 total yards in a 26-point home loss to SMU.

14. NC State (5-6, 2-5)

Last week: 13
This week: at North Carolina

The Wolfpack suffered an excruciating 30-29 loss to Georgia Tech, a game in which it took a six-point lead with a touchdown with 1:30 remaining, but allowed a go-ahead, 75-yard drive in just 1:08. It will need a win against North Carolina to avoid missing a bowl for just the third time in the past 11 years.

15. Stanford (3-8, 2-6)

Last week: 14
This week: at San Jose State

The Cardinal very nearly followed up its stunning win against Louisville with another victory, but allowed 17 unanswered points to squander a two-touchdown lead in the third quarter in a 24-21 loss to rival Cal.

16. Wake Forest (4-7, 2-5)

Last week: 16
This week: vs. Duke

Whatever faint hopes the Demon Deacons had of reaching a bowl were dashed by Miami in a game in which they were out-gained by a 508-193 margin.

17. Florida State (2-9, 1-7)

Last week: 17
This week: vs. Florida

The Seminoles snapped a six-game losing streak with a 41-7 victory against what’s now a 1-11 FCS Charleston Southern team. Already assured of a last-place finish in the ACC, coach Mike Norvell’s team can try to end a miserable season with a win against rival Florida.

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Miami, FL

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

Published

9 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

How To Watch: No. 8 Miami’s Final Regular Season Game at Syracuse

It’s do-or-die now for The Miami Hurricanes. Win and they are headed to Charlotte to face the SMU Mustangs for the Chance at hold the ACC Title for the first time since joining the conference in 2004.

First, they have to defeat one of the best offenses in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the Syracuse Orange led by Kyle McCord who is also on a mission of his own.

The Hurricanes have the No. 1 offense in the country but with a questionable defense, it could be hard to say what makes of the Canes and their championship asperation. One step at a time for the Hurricanes however as they look to get some players back for the final game of the season in the likes of Elijah Alston and Damari Brown.

The the additon of those two players on the defensive side of the ball, the Hurricanes could push pass the Orange and the offense that stands in their way. They will try to do it led by Heisman hopeful quarterback Cam Ward and his gunslinging arm and litany of weapons surrounding him.

Date: November 30

Time: 3:30 ET

TV: ESPN

Location: JMA Wireless Dome

Series: The Hurricanes lead the series 16-7 against the Orange.

Last Matchup: The Hurricanes dominated on defense in a 27-19 victory where Syracuse QB Eric Dungey threw four interceptions. Canes QB Malik Rosier threw for 344 yards and two TDs.

Miami, FL

Dolphins-Patriots 2024 Week 12 Five Biggest Storylines

Published

17 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Dolphins-Patriots 2024 Week 12 Five Biggest Storylines

The Miami Dolphins will look to move their record to 5-6 when they face the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday.

The Dolphins are coming consecutive victories against the Los Angeles Rams and Las Vegas Raiders. The Patriots are 3-8 and coming off a Week 11 home loss against the Rams.

The Dolphins are looking for a second consecutive season sweep of the Patriots after winning at Gillette Stadium, 15-10, in Week 5.

Here are the five biggest storylines for this year’s Week 12 matchup.

The biggest difference in this matchup from Week 5 is at quarterback where Tua Tagovailoa and Drake Maye have replaced Tyler “Snoop” Huntley and Jacoby Brissett. The Dolphins offense has been humming with Tagovailoa back in the lineup, and a big reason is the quarterback is playing the best football of his career. There’s no reason to think that run can’t continue against the Patriots.

The third overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, Maye was put into the starting lineup the week after the Dolphins played at Gillette Stadium, and he has shown enough to have everybody in Patriots land excited about the future. While they got only two sacks, the Dolphins harassed Brissett throughout the Week 5 game, but now Maye has the mobility to turns those pressure into positive gains. At the very least, this should be a tougher matchup for the Dolphins defense.

The Dolphins were able to pull out a victory in that Week 5 game despite getting a late scare, but also because their running game kept producing. It hasn’t been great the past two weeks, but fullback Alec Ingold will be back in the lineup after sitting out with a calf injury and that could make a difference and bring back another performance like we saw in Week 5.

In the Patriots offense, the player to watch (besides Maye, obviously) is tight end Hunter Henry, particularly in light of the problems the Dolphins had with Brock Bowers last Sunday. Defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver has promised to do whatever it takes to keep Henry in check, and that certainly could include putting Jalen Ramsey on him if needed.

One reason the Dolphins almost lost the Week 5 matchup despite keeping the Patriots offense in check was a brutal performance by the special teams that included a blocked punt, missed field goal and botched snap on another field goal attempt. That they were able to survive those mistakes and still win was pretty remarkable, and the Dolphins shouldn’t tempt fate again.

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