Beckham and professsional soccer rival face off for Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium

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https://www.sun-sentinel.com/local/broward/fl-ne-beckham-soccer-lauderdale-20190204-story.html

Beckham and professsional soccer rival face off for Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium

Defunct Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale hasn’t hosted a match in years. But now two professional soccer groups are in a hot competition for it.

The city is moving toward a deal to revive the 64-acre property in northern Fort Lauderdale, now fielding two bids offering to transform the publicly owned site into a sports destination.

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http://magiccity.soccer/2019/02/05/rival-bid-for-lockhart-site-a-new-obstacle-for-beckhams-mls-dreams/

Rival bid for Lockhart site a new obstacle for Beckham’s MLS and USL dreams

Nothing in Miami is ever easy. And getting their way in Fort Lauderdale just got even harder for Miami Beckham United.

On Monday, South Florida Sun-Sentinel reporter Brittany Wallman revealed on twitter that a second party is competing for the Lockhart Stadium site in Fort Lauderdale. The site is the same one Inter Miami intend to use as the base for their academy and training facility.

According to details reported by Wallman, a company named FXE Futbol LLC is claiming to have signed a letter of intent with USL for a franchise in the second tier of U.S. soccer (USL Championship) if they are able to acquire the Lockhart site, which is currently unused. The owner of FXE Futbol is reported to be John P. Reynal, CEO of OnSide Entertainment, a Miami-based sports event production company with a recent history of bringing well-known international and club sides to face off in Florida.

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Brittany Wallman
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@BrittanyWallman
 FXE Futbol releases renderings of its proposed $100 million remake of Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium. The USL franchise hopes to win the site away from David Beckham et al's @InterMiamiCF

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OnSide Entertainment’s website boasts about having “won a bid alongside Premier Parks to operate a 20,000 seat stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.” Premier Parks intended to operate a water park at the site but that project was scuttled last year after the potential operator determined it could not afford the renovations required.

Despite their partner’s exit, it seems OnSide has kept up its interest in Lockhart, insisting that it has an agreement with USL and is moving forward on a bid for use of the site.

Brittany Wallman
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@BrittanyWallman
 FXE Futbol, a licensed USL franchise, says it worked 2 years on project for 65-acre Lockhart Stadium site & will bid. Of @InterMiamiCF: “They have the Beckham name and the star power, but what they're proposing is a Miami project brought to Fort Lauderdale at the last minute.’’

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All of these developments come just over a week after Inter Miami announced sweeping proposal for the City of Fort Lauderdale that included a total renovation of the site, including a running track, playground, and fields for public use. Under Inter’s plan, the site would host technical staff and training facilities for both the MLS side and their USL affiliate.

Wallman also reported on Tuesday that Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis said “there may be room for both soccer proposals” at the site. However, it is unlikely that USL will allow competing franchises in an MLS market.

Reynal, the OnSide CEO, has previously been supportive of Major League Soccer’s efforts in South Florida. In a January 2017 interview with Negocios Magazine, he said MLS would “add a lot” to Miami.

“It would be excellent if it happens, I hope it happens.”

For more on Inter Miami’s plans for Lockhart, see our previous reporting here.

This is a developing story and will be updated throughout the day.

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https://www.bisnow.com/south-florida/news/commercial-real-estate/david-beckham-miami-stadium-lawsuit-96979

New Lawsuit Is Another Roadblock For David Beckham's Miami Soccer Stadium

David Beckham has a beautiful family, a legendary career and millions in the bank. But so far, the soccer and fashion star has been having a hard time getting a soccer stadium built — in Miami, of all places, where developers famously get what they want. A new lawsuit has added one more hurdle for him.

It has now been six years since Beckham and his business partners, including "American Idol" creator Simon Fuller and Sprint Executive Chairman Marcelo Claure, first announced plans to put a Major League Soccer team in the city. But plans for site after site have fizzled out for various reasons. The most recent plan, to build inland on a city-owned golf course, cleared a hurdle with voters but is now being challenged in court.

Beckham first announced in 2013 that he planned to put an MLS team in Miami. After fits and starts trying to build a new stadium, the plan was almost dead by the end of 2017.

But early last year, new investors — including SoftBank Chairman Masayoshi Son and MasTec Chairman Jorge Mas, who is a major player in infrastructure and engineering — joined Beckham's group and turned their sights from the 9 acres in Overtown to the 73-acre, city-owned Melreese golf course, which sits inland near the Miami International Airport. There, the developers could build not just a stadium, but a $1B mixed-use complex called Miami Freedom Park.

Rules prohibit officials from negotiating a no-bid contract on city-owned land, so Beckham's group went to the ballot box and asked voters if they would OK an exception to the rule and let the city negotiate with Beckham's group. Voters agreed. 

But some citizens hate the idea of public land being turned over for private profit, especially since the Marlins notoriously got billions in public money, while being opaque about their claimed financial troubles, to build their stadium. Coral Gables attorney David Winker decided to challenge the deal.

According to the South Florida Business Journal, "When an individual registers as a lobbyist with the city, the person must disclose the entity being represented and who owns it."

Some 15 people, including Beckham and Claure, who lobbied the city and publicly spoke in favor of the stadium also filed disclosures that they represent Miami Beckham United LLC. But the actual lease of city land would go to a different entity, Freedom Park LLC. It wasn't clear who owned Freedom Park until Winker filed an ethics complaint, which forced the disclosure Jan. 7 that it is owned solely by Mas. 

Because the pro-Beckham people hadn't registered as lobbyists for Freedom Park LLC, Winker has now filed against the city of Miami, alleging that officials allowed the soccer group to violate lobbying rules, that the ballot referendum was offered under false pretenses and misled voters, and that it should be declared null and void. 

Beckham and the others registered as lobbyists for Freedom Park LLC, but only after Winker filed his ethics complaint, the Daily Business Review reports. Winker has called Beckham's group "the gang of billionaires that can’t shoot straight." 

Attorneys for Miami Freedom Park vowed to "mount a vigorous defense and seek sanctions and attorney’s fees" if Winker presses on.

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https://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/news/2019/01/22/lawsuit-seeks-to-nullify-beckham-stadium.html

Lawsuit seeks to nullify Beckham stadium resolution

The lawsuit alleges that referendum was misleading to voters.

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https://therealdeal.com/miami/2019/01/24/lawsuit-alleges-vague-and-ambiguous-language-could-hamper-david-beckhams-soccer-complex-plan-in-miami/

Lawsuit alleges “vague and ambiguous” language could hamper David Beckham’s soccer complex plan in Miami

Miami attorney is asking the court to determine which portion of the site would be developed

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https://www.local10.com/news/local/miami/city-faces-another-lawsuit-over-david-beckham-s-stadium

City faces another lawsuit over David Beckham's stadium

Lawsuit claims city officials didn't play by the rules

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/anhg0m/rowdies_sign_defender_mohamed_kone/

Rowdies Sign Defender Mohamed Kone

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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/992116

ROWDIES SIGN DEFENDER MOHAMED KONE

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https://www.reddit.com/r/TampaBayRowdies/comments/anexbn/rowdies_acquire_jordan_doherty_on_loan_from/

Rowdies acquire Jordan Doherty on loan from Sheffield United FC

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https://www.rowdiessoccer.com/news_article/show/991982

ROWDIES ACQUIRE JORDAN DOHERTY ON LOAN FROM SHEFFIELD UNITED FC

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https://www.pantagraph.com/sports/professional/benfred-mls-wants-more-corporate-support-from-st-louis-as/article_15b2d0f3-0a8d-5b02-ba8e-98f308849115.html

BenFred: MLS wants more corporate support from St. Louis as it considers bid

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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2019/02/05/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/MLS-St-Louis.aspx

St. Louis MLS Group Hopeful Pending Corporate Support

St. Louis' prospective ownership group is increasingly confident in what it can offer MLS Photo: MLS4THELOU Members of a prospective MLS St. Louis franchise ownership group "made an under-the-radar trip" to N.Y. to give MLS Commissioner Don Garber and his colleagues an "update on progress...

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https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/02/05/report-mls-sdsu-officials-meet-talk-stadium-project-san-diego

Report: MLS, SDSU officials meet to talk stadium project in San Diego

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https://www.10news.com/news/local-news/sources-sdsu-meets-with-major-league-soccer

Sources: SDSU meets with Major League Soccer