County commissioner derails renaming of Miami Beach Convention Center for cruise line
A proposal to rename the Miami Beach Convention Center after Norwegian Cruise Line may be dead in the water after Miami-Dade Commissioner Eileen Higgins lobbied city leaders to reject it.
Higgins, whose district includes Miami Beach, spoke out against the $12 million deal at a Thursday meeting at City Hall. She argued that the deal was unfair to county taxpayers who helped fund the renovation of the city-owned facility, which she said was part of the brand of Miami-Dade as a region.
Were Miami Beach to name the center after Norwegian, Higgins said she would propose to divert most of the revenue the city would receive to a taxfunded trust that helps underwrite the convention center.
In an interview Friday, she said she expected that the naming-rights deal would no longer be considered. Although no formal assurances were given, she said she believes commissioners gave her a “pinky swear.”
“I think I was successful in making that argument,” she said. “I really don’t believe that they would disrespect me in that fashion.”
The deal, which proposes to rename the city-owned building the Norwegian Cruise Line Center at Miami Beach, was scheduled for a preliminary vote at Thursday’s City Commission meeting but the administration removed it from the agenda prior to the meeting to have “further discussion,” city spokeswoman Melissa Berthier said in a statement.
The deal would earn the city between $1 million and $1.35 million. It would begin March 1 and end January 2032.
The 1.4 million-square-foot convention center, located across the street from City Hall and near Lincoln Road, has hosted Art Basel, a Super Bowl fan convention and regularly scheduled expos. It underwent a $620 million renovation in
2018.
The commission would need five of seven affirmative votes to approve the deal. Three commissioners on Friday said they likely would not support the deal, and Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez said she would bring an ordinance at the February meeting to block any future attempts to sell the naming rights of the convention center.
The commission voted in 2020 to hire a consultant to pursue naming-rights agreements for several city properties, including the convention center.
“It seems like any opportunity for naming rights for the Convention Center is dead for now,” Commissioner David Richardson wrote in a statement Friday.
Norwegian Cruise Line did not respond to a request for comment Friday.
Higgins and the city commissioners met Thursday as part of the Miami Beach Redevelopment Agency, a board that funds improvements in South Beach’s anti-blight district. She made her comments as the board voted to request that the County Commission approve allocating $27 million in redevelopment funds as part of a legal settlement related to the construction of the convention center.
Higgins, who said she would sponsor the funding request before the County Commission, told her city counterparts that she would move to amend the proposal if the city sold the naming rights to the convention center. That change, she said, would propose that 75% of all revenue generated as part of the deal would go toward paying off the $27 million. The County Commission
has to approve any Redevelopment Agency proposal.
“You either need the money or not but if you’re going to sell the naming rights to the convention center, you should consider the fact that the taxpayers from all around the county helped build it,” she told commissioners.
Richardson, who said Higgins called him to discuss her concerns prior to the meeting, said in an interview Friday that he would not expect the city to create conflict with the county after hearing from Higgins.
While he was initially on the fence about the deal, Richardson said he no longer feels like there is a path forward for it. He noted that Higgins is helping to secure funding for the city to pay off the settlement of its lawsuit.
“Clearly I’m not looking to pick a fight with the county,” he said. “I don’t think it’s just her. I think it would be other people on the [County] Commission who have concerns as well.”
Commissioner Ricky Arriola, who said he was initially supportive of the deal, said Friday that it would not make sense for the city to pursue a naming-rights deal if it were to only receive 25% of the revenues. He said he would not likely support any deal under those conditions.
“I think it effectively kills any deal,” he said.
Martin Vassolo: 305-376-2071, martindvassolo