FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Soccer superstar Lionel Messi is set to make his debut with his new team in South Florida next month. But amid the excitement comes some back and forth between the team and the City of Fort Lauderdale, where Inter Miami plays. There was even some reporting that the David-Beckham-owned team had started construction of additional seating without permits.
But Reporter Sophia Hernandez took an inside look and found that was not the case.
Though there are still issues that need to be ironed out.
After lots of speculation and accusation, the City of Fort Lauderdale and the Inter Miami team are setting the record straight as to what’s happening inside of the stadium and what’s expected for the future.
“It’s been unfortunate that the whole story hasn’t been told because I think it’s been a little unfair to the team,” shared the outside council for Inter Miami and the Miami Beckham United team, Stephanie Toothaker.
Last week, several media outlets published stories reporting the team had begun construction of 3,000 seats inside the DRV PNK stadium without permits.
But Toothaker said that wasn’t the case, “We hadn’t even taken delivery of the seats yet, so it wasn’t possible for the seats to be built, but what had been delivered was the aluminum portion of the stands.”
The city confirms it.
Mayor Dean Trantalis of the City of Fort Lauderdale said, “They were staging the equipment there, but there was no construction.”
The city said they have agreed to expedite the permit process for those seats.
It’s a different tone from last week.
At that point, Inter Miami had not paid the league overdue permit payments in relation to the construction of the stadium three years ago. On Monday, Toothaker said they paid the $1.4 million dollars and will pay any additional costs for the new seating.
She said the reason it took them so long to pay was because the City of Fort Lauderdale had committed to handling costs related to the demolition of Lockhart Stadium, which was previously at the site, and those original permitting fees.
What amount the city now owes the league is still being ironed out.
“The city has agreed that when we go back into mediation, we will work all those amounts out,” said Toothaker.
And there’s been other agreements.
The city has now allowed the league to use the 20-acre lot that is designated for a park to be used as a parking lot for this season and next.
Mayor Trantalis explained, “Right now, the park is in the design phase, so there really is not interference with the building of the park and the parking in it of itself.”
The promised park, the city said, is set to be designed by September of next year. The league said they are waiting on that design and the funds they say they are owed by the city.
Toothaker stated, “We look forward to working with the city. I think it’s just a question of the credits that are owed and the value of the park, and that just needs to be worked out. But we are very confident it will be.”
Toothaker said Miami Beckham United has invested $170 million into the stadium and hopes the seats get done quickly in time for Messi’s arrival on July 21.
As for this continued back and forth between the two entities, they hope it’s behind them.
“I think this has provided a good history for us upon which to build,” shared the Mayor. “And we know our relationship, and we are going to continue to build on our relationship, so any of the issues that materialized were unresolved, and we should have resolved them earlier, so here we are today. But we are moving forward.”
