Bruce Matheson lost an appeal against Miami-Dade County’s no-bid land deal in Overtown with David Beckham and his partners.
The lawsuit and Matheson’s failed appeal actually bought the Beckham group more time, according to the Miami Herald.
While Beckham and his partners are now seeking approval from city of Miami residents to allow them to build a mixed-use soccer complex on the Melreese property near Miami International Airport, they still have a pending deal with the county to purchase 2.8 acres in Overtown for $9 million. That site is part of the assemblage where the Miami soccer team’s owners previously planned to build their Major League Soccer Stadium.
In his lawsuit, Matheson alleged that the county’s no-bid deal with Beckham was illegal. But the Third District Court of Appeal ruled that Florida law allows counties to award such deals if they promote economic development, the Miami Herald reported.
The Beckham group’s deal, approved by the commission in 2017, required a $450,000 down payment, plus another $901,500 in June of this year. The June deadline was extended due to Matheson’s suit, and now legal technicalities could give Beckham until after the Melreese referendum goes to voters on Nov. 6. [Miami Herald] – Katherine Kallergis