MIAMI (WSVN) - A Miami-Dade County commissioner and the county sheriff are pushing back against reports that the Office of the Mayor is exploring a partnership with Rockstar Games for the launch of Grand Theft Auto VI, including the possibility of temporarily rebranding Miami International Airport as “Vice City Airport.”
Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz in a press release Thursday said that using public resources and county facilities to promote a game centered on crime and violence sends the wrong message about Miami-Dade.
“I still cannot believe that we are even considering temporarily rebranding important County assets, including Miami International Airport, as ‘Vice City Airport,'” Bermudez said. “Miami-Dade County has spent decades building a reputation as a world-class destination for tourism, business, investment, and opportunity. We should be promoting the Miami-Dade we have worked so hard to build, not a fictional version of our community defined by crime and violence.”
He emphasized how the game has a propensity for glorifying wanton violence on first responders and random people through its popular series.
“I’m not against video games, but to go out and get a video game where – which glorifies not only our first responders getting shot, but also pedestrians and residents – it’s nonsensical,” said Bermudez.
Sheriff Cordero-Stutz was equally direct in her opposition.
“Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise built around criminal activity. Its fictional world includes murder, robbery, drug trafficking, carjacking, violence against law enforcement, and other conduct that the men and women of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office work every single day to prevent,” Cordero-Stutz said. “At a time when law enforcement is working every day to reduce violent crime, prevent robberies and car thefts, combat drug trafficking, and build stronger relationships between our deputies and the communities we serve, I believe we need to seriously consider the message we send when our own government promotes a fictional identity centered around many of those same crimes.”
Thursday afternoon, the mayor’s office released a statement that reads:
“Given Miami-Dade’s clear influence on the game, we think there could be a unique opportunity to generate revenue for the county while showcasing Miami-Dade to a massive audience.”
On top of rebranding sections of the airport as Vice City Airport, reports suggest the proposed promotion would also feature an aircraft wrapped in Vice City branding. Moving beyond the airport, the pitch would wrap the Metro Mover in Vice City branding and place the game’s logo on manhole covers across the county.
Bermudez criticized the statement from the mayor’s office, reiterating his belief that conflating the county with GTA’s interpretation does more harm than good.
“For just some dollars? No, I don’t agree. I think our goal is to be paradise and not to be paradise lost,” he said.
Bermudez has also called for full transparency regarding any discussions between Miami-Dade County and Rockstar Games, urging the administration to disclose the public benefit, costs and use of county resources tied to any proposed deal.
“Miami-Dade County is not a video game; it’s a community,” said Bermudez.
7News asked Bermudez for any details on potential revenue a deal with Rockstar Games could generate for the county but he said he was not privy to any information.
It remains unclear exactly what revenue could come from a potential promotional deal.
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