Inter Miami CF managing owner Jorge Mas confirmed in a press conference Thursday that the team intends to play its first two Major League Soccer seasons at a stadium it would build at the current site of Lockhart Stadium.
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.
The City of Fort Lauderdale on Tuesday released the full proposals for Lockhart Stadium redevelopment offered by Inter Miami CF and FXE Futbol, LLC.
Inter Miami CF and FXE Futbol, LLC released video renderings of their Lockhart Stadium renovation proposals Friday, just hours before a 5 p.m. deadline imposed by the City of Fort Lauderdale. The city’s commission will consider both proposals, as well as any others offered before the deadline.
The Fort Lauderdale City Commission voted unanimously Tuesday evening to begin accepting proposals for the renovation of Lockhart Stadium and Fort Lauderdale Stadium. These proposals will include Inter Miami CF’s plan for its youth academy and USL team, as well as an independent USL bid revealed on Monday.
The resolution will start a 21-day window in which proposals could be submitted to the city. It is unknown whether other proposals will be submitted.
Per city rules, the 21-day window will start once the request for proposals is published in the South Florida Sun Sentinel and the Florida Administrative Register.
To watch video of the commission meeting, click above.
In a unexpected turn of events, it appears that Inter Miami CF is planning on locating its youth academy in Broward County, setting its sights on a redevelopment of Fort Lauderdale’s Lockhart Stadium, the club announced in a statement Monday afternoon.
“Inter Miami proposes to build and operate a state of the-art soccer training facility, a world class professional soccer stadium and a soccer-centric community destination,” the cover letter to the proposal reads.