How David Beckham's Vision Impacts Miami

MIAMI—The news that retired soccer star David Beckham and his partners have set their sights on Downtown Miami as the preferred location for a new Major League Soccer team set off a flurry of excitement across South Florida and around the world earlier this year. Last month’s announcement that the team has selected the Florida East Coast (FEC) Railway slip as its ideal stadium site has turned the world’s attention to the Downtown Miami waterfront and adjacent Museum Park.

The team’s plans call for filling in the submerged slip and developing a privately-funded 20,000-seat soccer stadium amidst an expanded park encompassing new art and science museums. A public vote on the proposal will take place later this year but one thing is for certain: Downtown Miami’s position in the crosshairs of David Beckham and company has been a marketing goldmine for the city’s real estate sector.