Tag Archives: Fort Lauderdale
A decade of Miami soccer in review The Miami FC

Miami Soccer in Review: The Miami FC struggles on the pitch in its 2016 debut

By on Sunday, December 29, 2019
Miami Soccer in Review | The Miami FC forward Darío Cvitanich celebrates with teammates after scoring the club's first goal in a game against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale on April 2, 2016. Photo via The Miami FC.

Magic City Soccer will take the last 10 days of 2019 to review the last 10 years of Miami-Dade County soccer. Today in Miami Soccer in Review, we take a look back at 2016. The Miami FC debuts less than a year after being announced, and struggles to find its footing.

The Miami FC took the field for the first time in 2016, led by Italian giant Alessandro Nesta. In the club’s first match against Fort Lauderdale Strikers, Darío Cvitanich would score the first goal thanks to a penalty and a 10-man side saw out a 1-1 draw at Lockhart Stadium in Broward County. The Strikers, who qualified for the NASL playoffs the prior season, offered a measuring stick with which to compare Miami FC. The next week, the Blues again saw out a 1-1 draw, this time against Tampa Bay Rowdies, a team that came two points behind Fort Lauderdale the previous season. 

It would be the last points Miami FC collected for more than a month.

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A decade of Miami soccer in review MLS

Miami Soccer in Review: The decade begins with 2010, an Annus Horribilis

By on Monday, December 23, 2019
Marcelo Claure, now an owner of Inter Miami CF, originally intended to bring a Major League Soccer team to Miami in partnership with Barcelona in 2010. Photo by Patrick Farrell, Miami Herald

Magic City Soccer will take the last 10 days of 2019 to review the last 10 years of Miami-Dade County soccer. Here, we begin our look back at a decade of Miami soccer in review with 2010, an Annus Horribilis.

The decade of the 2010s was supposed to open with a bang for the Miami soccer community. In October 2008, Barcelona announced that it would be partnering with Brightstar Corp. CEO Marcelo Claure to bring an Major League Soccer team to FIU Stadium, possibly as soon as 2010.

If you know anything about soccer in Miami this decade, you know this couldn’t have compared less favorably with what actually happened. In fact, the only constant was Claure, now involved in the ownership of Inter Miami CF.

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Inter Miami CF

BREAKING: City of Fort Lauderdale commission gives final approval to Inter Miami CF construction at Lockhart Stadium site

By on Tuesday, July 9, 2019
The City of Fort Lauderdale commission Tuesday evening gave approval for Inter Miami CF to construct a new stadium at the previous site of Lockhart Stadium. Photo via mlssoccer.com

Less than six months after the proposal was introduced, and less than two months after demolition began, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s commission Tuesday night gave final approval to the construction of a stadium at the site of Lockhart Stadium for the use of Inter Miami CF.

The vote, which was unanimous and took only a few minutes of deliberation, now guarantees that Inter Miami CF will have a home to play in when it begins its first Major League Soccer campaign.

There are still wrinkles to iron out. Most notably, the Federal Aviation Administration will have say over the construction process, due to the lot’s proximity to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport. According to Chris Wittyngham, who spoke to a team official after the vote, the team is ready to start building as soon as that approval is given.

September start?

640 the Hurricane radio host Andy Slater spoke to the team before the vote. A spokesperson stated that they believe the FAA approval could come in September.

The FAA has been a speed bump on construction at the Lockhart Stadium site before. A long-proposed water park next to the stadium was scuttled because of FAA regulations.

Ownership has routinely stated that they expect the stadium to be completed by the start of the 2020 MLS season.

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Inter Miami CF

FXE Futbol, LLC files lawsuit against Fort Lauderdale, Miami Beckham United

By on Tuesday, April 16, 2019
FXE Futbol, LLC, the group that challenged Inter Miami CF for the right to redevelop Lockhart Stadium, has sued the City of Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beckham United, LLC (the holding organization behind Inter Miami). Image via Broward Clerk of Courts.

What would the Miami MLS saga be without yet another lawsuit? This time, FXE Futbol is getting in on the action.

FXE Futbol, LLC, the group that challenged Inter Miami CF for the right to redevelop Lockhart Stadium, has sued the City of Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beckham United, LLC (the holding organization behind Inter Miami). The lawsuit was first reported by the Miami Herald.

While the complaint discusses topics we have seen before, there is one wild twist that is being alleged. Perhaps the battle for Lockhart stadium isn’t quite over.

At first glance the complaint, filed by attorney David J. Winker, requests that the court review the Public-Private Partnership Process with regards to the Lockhart site and the city’s decision to award the project to Inter Miami.

“This is an action challenging the validity and effect of the frantic and, ultimately, statutorily inadequate, Public-Private Partnership Process undertaken pursuant to Fla. Stat. Sec. 255.065 by Defendant CITY OF FORT LAUDERDALE”

FXE Futbol is seeking a writ of mandamus and civil action against not only the City of Fort Lauderdale but Miami Beckham United, citing damages of over $15,000. While this has been par for the course, this is the first time a competitor has filed a claim seeking to reverse the decision by a local government.

Asbestos questions

Where the petition really begins to get interesting is on line item 13. According to FXE Futbol, Inter Miami was spreading falsehoods regarding the level of asbestos present at Lockhart in its current state. FXE Futbol has outlined that Inter Miami was advising the city council that there was “a tremendous amount of asbestos present at the stadium” and therefore revitalization or renovation was not actually possible.

The complaint discusses how procedural violations were made by the City of Fort Lauderdale throughout the process, which is much like what we have seen argued and alleged against Miami-Dade County and the City of Miami. Due to this being the first complaint being filed by a competing interest, FXE Futbol is seeking monetary damages in the amount of “lost profits”.

With March 2020 coming closer with each passing day, Inter Miami cannot afford another lengthy court battle that stalls the process of acquiring permits, clearance, and the demolition of Lockhart stadium. With the timeline already being questioned by the public, if this judgement is granted in favor of the plaintiffs we could see a real snag in Inter Miami’s plans to open in 2020.

 

Author’s Note: Omar Moubayed is not an attorney and does not claim to be an active member of the Florida Bar Association. Any and all information in this news story is neither his legal opinion nor the legal opinion of Magic City Soccer.

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Inter Miami CF Magic City Soccer Podcast

Magic City Soccer podcast Episode 67: Inter Miami CF wins in Fort Lauderdale, struggles in Miami-Dade

By on Thursday, March 21, 2019
Magic City Soccer Podcast. Photographic by Matthew Bunch.

On this episode of the Magic City Soccer podcast, Abel, Matt and Omar focus squarely on Inter Miami CF, after its win in front of the Fort Lauderdale city commission likely means it will play (at least) two years in Broward County. What does the future of the club look like from here? Join us, won’t you?

To subscribe to Magic City Soccer on iTunes, click here. To subscribe to Magic City Soccer on SoundCloud, click here.
To subscribe on Google Play, Listen on Google Play Music

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Inter Miami CF

BREAKING: Fort Lauderdale commission unanimously votes to proceed to negotiations on Inter Miami bid for Lockhart renovation

By on Tuesday, March 19, 2019

The City of Fort Lauderdale unanimously voted Tuesday to proceed to negotiations with Miami Beckham United on its plan to renovate Lockhart Stadium.

After questioning and deliberation Tuesday afternoon, the City of Fort Lauderdale’s commission rated the Miami Beckham United bid over the FXE football, LLC bid.

 

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Inter Miami CF

Comparing the plans: Inter Miami and FXE Futbol proposals for Lockhart Stadium analyzed

By on Wednesday, March 13, 2019
A rendering featured in the proposals submitted to the City of Fort Lauderdale by FXE Futbol, LLC (left) and Miami Beckham United, LLC. Via City of Fort Lauderdale.

Since the end of January, Inter Miami CF and FXE Futbol, LLC have vied in legal filings and public relations to build support for their proposed renovations of Lockhart Stadium. On Tuesday afternoon, the public finally had the opportunity to review the full proposals submitted by the groups to the City of Fort Lauderdale.

To read both proposals in full, click here.

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