Miami-Dade County commissioner proposes soccer stadium site next to Marlins Park

Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez says site has support of Miami mayor, other commissioners

MIAMI – A Miami-Dade County commissioner has designed a model for a proposed Major League Soccer stadium next to Marlins Park in Miami, the third such formal proposal for a site since David Beckham announced he was bringing soccer to South Florida earlier this year.

Commissioner Xavier L. Suarez presented the model for the 40,000-seat stadium Wednesday afternoon.

Several parcels of land would need to be acquired for the stadium dream to become a reality, but a news release from Suarez's office said it is "feasible and not costly since the infrastructure is already in place."

"Someone somewhere along the lines said something about this location not being ideal," Suarez told Local 10 News. "I don't know why it wouldn't be. It's not next to a body of water. It's not next to the bay, but you can't have everything." 

Suarez was referring to two other sites that Beckham and his team of investors had set their sights on -- the PortMiami site and a boat slip at Museum Park next to the AmericanAirlines Arena.

Both of those proposed sites were rejected.

Suarez said this site has the support of Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado and other commissioners. The question remains whether Beckham would support the location.

Compared to the $50 million Beckham's group would have to spend to build a waterfront venue, the commissioner believes his plan is more practical.