The plan to turn the real Miami into the real-life version of Grand Theft Auto VI and Vice City has run into the most predictable opposition imaginable. The people who fight the crimes Grand Theft Auto is about, namely Miami-Dade's sheriff, a county commissioner, and the county's chief judge, all came out against the proposed Vice City marketing takeover that Rockstar Games is actively discussing with the county, and the courts want their buildings kept out of it altogether.
Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz and Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez issued a joint statement opposing the idea, arguing that a county should not spend public resources promoting a game built around murder, robbery, carjacking, drug trafficking, and violence against police, which is, they note, exactly the list of things her deputies handle every day. Separately, Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan wrote to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava asking for any GTA 6 branding to exclude every courthouse and judicial facility, calling the game's themes incompatible with what those buildings stand for.
The Mayor's Office, which has floated the deal as a potential source of revenue and exposure, is holding its position. Its spokesperson repeated that conversations are true, but there remains no formal agreement at the moment, and any plan still has to go through a proper review first.
Where Miami-Dade stands on the GTA 6 Vice City deal
Party | Position |
|---|---|
Mayor's Office (Daniella Levine Cava) | Open to it as a revenue and exposure opportunity; says nothing is agreed |
Sheriff's Office (Rosie Cordero-Stutz) | Opposed; says the county should not promote a crime-focused game |
Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez | Opposed; objects to glorifying violence against police |
Chief Judge Ariana Fajardo Orshan | Wants all courthouses and judicial facilities excluded |
Rockstar Games | Wants the marketing; no public statement on the pushback |
The stakeholders and their positions as of September 4, with nothing formally approved.
The whole hook, dressing the real Miami up as its own fictional crime-parody, is precisely what makes it the sort of politically radioactive stuff for the officials whose job is the real version of that crime. In particular, the sheriff's objection is most understandable. It wouldn't be the best look for a government to advertise a game that rewards shooting cops. The judge's case, on the other hand, is more straightforward, since a building that stands for the rule of law is an odd place for decal themed around chaos and lawlessness.
The Mayor's revenue argument is not nonsense, either. Miami-Dade has to weigh the pros and cons out. GTA is a global juggernaut, and the free tourism exposure of tying the real city to the most anticipated game of the decade is the county would leave money on the table if it walks.
For years, people have gone to Miami partly because it was the setting for Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. The city itself has drawn content creators and audiences trying to find the real-life inspirations for certain confirmed in-game establishments. Can you imagine how many more will go in the years after the game comes out?
Unfortunately, a full public-facility takeover, the "Vice City Airport," the wrapped Metromover trains, the Port Gellhorn-inspired PortMiami murals, the themed manhole covers, is a hard sell with the sheriff, a commissioner, and the judiciary all on record stating their opposition. Does this mean this will not happen? Probably not. However, there will be compromise based on the recent events. Rockstar will most likely scale things back and/or look to private partnerships, hotels, clubs, beaches, and pop-ups that get Rockstar its "real Vice City" moment without needing government approval.
Besides, the controversy itself is free publicity, which Rockstar will not mind in the slightest.