On September 22, a helicopter installed a large pink 'Welcome to Vice City' sign on the roof of the Kaseya Center, Miami's NBA arena, under a $975,000 agreement with Rockstar. The figure is $25,000 below the $1 million threshold that requires a County Commission vote under county rules, which meant Mayor Daniella Levine Cava could sign off on her own authority. WLRN reported that the deal was announced at about 1:30 a.m. during the county's overnight budget meeting and caught several commissioners off guard.
Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz issued a joint statement on September 3 urging the county to reject any Rockstar partnerships. Bermudez argued the county should focus on promoting its actual achievements. Cordero-Stutz objected to the franchise's depictions of criminal activity. The statement's closing line: 'Miami-Dade County is not Vice City.' At an October 6 commission meeting, opposition hardened. Commissioners led by René Garcia objected to staff negotiating further paid Rockstar promotions on county property. Garcia said, 'We're depicting Miami like a murder capital,' per the Miami Herald. Mayor Levine Cava said afterward that talks would continue, and her spokesperson Carlos Suarez told Fortune, 'Nothing has been formally agreed to or approved.'
Commissioner Oliver Gilbert, a supporter of the deal, used a procedural move to push the vote to the October 20 meeting. No result had been reported at the time of writing. Fortune's October 19 feature reports a June 29 pitch deck included potential activations at Miami International Airport, PortMiami, and Metromover stations. Separately, the Miami Beach City Commission voted 4 to 3 on September 10 to let its city manager negotiate a Vice City beach chair and umbrella branding deal with Rockstar. GTA 6 launches November 19 on PS5 and Xbox Series X and S.