Fort Lauderdale accuses Inter Miami of adding seats without permit

The ongoing dispute between Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beckham United just got uglier.

No one can blame Lionel Messi, but the latest controversy may have a lot to do with the fact that the soccer superstar is on the way. Messi is expected to make his debut with Inter Miami on July 21 at DRV PNK stadium.

On Monday, Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas told reporters he’d already contracted to add 3,000 seats to the stadium to meet the Messi-mania demand.

On Wednesday, Fort Lauderdale threatened to issue a stop-work order, claiming workers were installing new seats without a permit. A terse note from City Hall was sent at 4:42 p.m. to Inter Miami lobbyist Stephanie Toothaker telling her the city was in the process of red-tagging the stadium.

“Just so we are clear, continuing to work once a stop-work order has been issued can be an arrestable offense,” Assistant City Attorney Rhonda Hasan wrote. “We are requiring that Inter Miami follow the laws of the state and the city.”

Toothaker told the South Florida Sun Sentinel via text: “There is no construction activity at DRV PNK Stadium so there is nothing to red tag. Please double-check your facts with the city who sent staff to the site to confirm.”

The incident is the latest in a long-running dispute between the city and Miami Beckham United officials.

A possible truce seemed to be in the works on Tuesday, with both sides agreeing to head into mediation talks for a second time to resolve their many issues: The $1.4 million in overdue permit fees, the long-promised public park that’s waiting to be built and that overflow parking lot Inter Miami desperately needs, especially with Messi on the way.

Three weeks ago, Fort Lauderdale barred Inter Miami from using the 20-acre lot south of the stadium after the soccer club’s owners missed a new May 31 deadline to pay permit fees that were due three years ago.

Parking crunch

Beckham United needs that parking lot like a desert needs water.

But until those building permit fees get paid, the overflow lot is off-limits, Fort Lauderdale officials say.

Things were so much more rosy back in 2019.

That’s the year the two sides made a deal to get a world-class stadium built on taxpayer-owned land.

All the details were spelled out in a comprehensive agreement that some have since criticized as leaving the city in a weak position.

Under the deal, Fort Lauderdale granted Beckham United the right to build the stadium. In return, the team’s owners agreed to pay the city $1 a year over the course of a 50-year lease. They also promised to build a park on land south of the stadium.

But that land is being used for parking until the team can move to a new stadium slated to be built at Miami Freedom Park.

Mayor Dean Trantalis, hoping there might be a meeting of the minds, urged the team’s owners to make an appearance at this week’s commission meeting.

And so on Tuesday, Toothaker showed up for the somewhat awkward public chat. Also in attendance was Pablo Alvarez, an attorney for team owners Jorge and Jose Mas and soccer legend David Beckham.

In the end, everyone agreed to head back into private talks, with former Mayor Jack Seiler again taking on the role of mediator and Commissioner John Herbst handling negotiations for the city.

Both sides spent nine hours in mediation on May 30, but failed to reach an agreement.

On Tuesday, Alvarez told commissioners the team’s owners are willing to pay the permit fees as long as the city lets them start using the south lot for parking through the end of the season in October.

Seiler told the commission the team’s owners have placed $1.4 million in an escrow account with his law firm.

But if the second attempt at mediation fails, the team’s owners want that money back, Toothaker told commissioners.

From the dais, Herbst argued the money is owed to the city either way.

“What’s in dispute is demolition costs and the timeline for the park,” he said. “What’s not in dispute are building permit fees. I don’t want to set a precedent that building permit fees can somehow be waived.”

‘The ball is in their court’

Trantalis also stood his ground, insisting the building permit fees be paid.

“We’re very excited about Messi coming to the team but there are things that have to be addressed,” Trantalis told the Sun Sentinel on Wednesday. “And we’re treating Inter Miami the same as everybody else and that includes the payment of building permit fees. We’re hoping that Inter Miami will consent to the payment so we can continue to move the process forward in a positive direction. When will that happen? The ball is in their court.”

On Tuesday, Toothaker told commissioners the team’s owners want the city to resume letting fans park in the south lot during mediation.

The south lot is the very spot where the team’s owners promised to build a park by July 18.

Alvarez argues the city has not yet agreed on a park design. As recently as two months ago, he noted, city officials added yet another amenity to the park wish list: Pickleball courts, to be paid for out of a voter-approved parks bond.

Furthermore, Beckham United has the right to veto certain features of the park design based on the comprehensive agreement, Alvarez told commissioners.

Herbst quickly disagreed.

“The city can build whatever they want on that land,” he said.

Fort Lauderdale has hired a consultant to design the park, but the design and permitting process won’t be done until September 2024.

‘I don’t like us being at odds’

Seiler told commissioners they need to try mediation one more time.

“If you don’t, this park is going to be delayed for years,” he said. “You’re going to be sitting in court in 2025 (and still won’t have a park).”

Under the agreement, the city can build the park on its own and send Beckham United a bill.

The team’s owners will go into default on the contract on July 18 because they have not met the deadline to get the park built, Herbst said.

“We will go ahead and build the park with our own contractors,” he said Wednesday. “They were saying we can’t do anything without their permission. We don’t interpret the agreement that way. Once they go into default, the remedy is we build the park ourselves. So we no longer need their approval on the design.”

Commissioner Warren Sturman remained quiet during most of Tuesday’s discussion, then finally spoke up. “I don’t like us being at odds,” he said. “I’d love for this to be resolved. I don’t think anyone wants bad publicity. We’re not adversaries. We all want to work together.”

Herbst told Inter Miami’s attorney the commission could vote that night to extend the parking agreement if the $1.4 million placed in escrow was released to the city.

Alvarez said he needed to check with the owners first and would contact the city if he got the green light.

Herbst says he never heard back.

Susannah Bryan can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @Susannah_Bryan