It appears that not every corner of Miami is eager to strike a deal with Rockstar Games and become Vice City. The county that inspired the game is one of such places. A plan to turn parts of Miami International Airport, PortMiami and Metromover stations into Vice City installations for Grand Theft Auto VI is in real trouble after several Miami-Dade County commissioners moved to pull the brakes. A vote on October 20 could end the county's role outright as the rest of the campaign, the city and private deals, keeps moving.
The pushback came at the commission's regular meeting last week, reported by the local outlet The Miamian. Commissioner Rene Garcia led the opposition to an effort by Mayor Daniella Levine Cava's staff to have Rockstar pay the county to dress public facilities as Vice City. "I feel really uncomfortable with this whole thing," Garcia said, arguing the county should not work with a "game that's depicting Miami like a crime haven; Miami like a murder capital." A late move by commission chairman Anthony Rodriguez to let the mayor negotiate a deal worth more than $1 million nearly flipped into a full ban. Commissioner Oliver Gilbert delayed a vote that would have ended the talks on the spot.
Commissioner Danielle Cohen Higgins pointed to county policy that bars Miami-Dade from advertising anything that promotes pornography, prostitution or violence. She recalled that in 2019 the county and the Miami Heat turned down a $10 million naming-rights bid from an adult-film company for the arena now called Kaseya Center. "We completely rejected that without consideration," she said.
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However, the county already has one Vice City deal on the books, the $975,000 "Welcome to Vice City" sign on the Kaseya Center roof. The mayor's chief of staff, Christopher Hudtwalcker, negotiated it. The figure sits just under the $1 million line that would force a commission vote, which is part of why commissioners feel sidelined. Garcia questioned the value too, noting Rockstar is spending at least $150 million to market the game while the county settled for less than a million. Levine Cava's office defended the number as fair for a single rooftop display. It pointed to comparable deals such as an unexecuted FIFA World Cup proposal, then valued the sign at about $139,000 a month over seven months.
Where each Miami GTA 6 track stands
Track | Level | Where it stands |
|---|---|---|
Airport, PortMiami and Metromover as Vice City | Miami-Dade County | In peril, a commission vote on October 20 could end it |
Downtown Miami banners | City of Miami | Approved, takes effect October 15 |
Beach chair and umbrella branding | City of Miami Beach | Approved, takes effect October 15 |
"Welcome to Vice City" roof sign | Private, Kaseya Center | Up and lit, pays the county $975,000 |
"A Night in Vice City" Heat game | Private, Miami Heat | Set for November 18 |
Vice City airship | Private, Goodyear | Flying south now |
Only the county track is in doubt, the city and private deals are moving ahead.
In other news, the downtown Miami banners and the Miami Beach chair branding are cleared and starting October 15. The Kaseya sign is up, the Heat's "A Night in Vice City" game is set for November 18 and this Vice City airship is already flying south. Because none of that runs through the county commission, they're not part of the discussion on October 20. It definitely appears as if the real Miami that inspired Vice City can't fully agree as the city embraces the name while the county that owns the airport wants no part of it.
For now the county piece is the only domino that could fall. Commissioners get the final word on October 20, when they decide whether the mayor's staff can keep negotiating for a bigger deal or whether the county bows out.
Either way, the city has already said yes, the arena sign is lit and GTA 6 arrives on November 19. Vice City is coming to Miami with or without the county's blessing.