A Florida sheriff blasted a proposal to temporarily transform the area into a real-life version of Vice City from the video game Grand Theft Auto 6, records show.
Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, a Republican who describes herself as tough on crime, slammed Democratic Mayor Daniella Levine Cava over the potential marketing tie-in with Rockstar Games.
The upcoming video game is set in a fictional southern Florida city, featuring player-directed murders, robberies, and other criminal conduct, according to the report.
Sheriff Cordero-Stutz criticized the proposed partnership, arguing that local officials should avoid endorsing an identity rooted in crime.
“Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise built around criminal activity — we need to seriously consider the message we send when our own government promotes a fictional identity centered around many of those same crimes,” the sheriff said.
The franchise routinely features offenses that deputies combat on a daily basis, the sheriff noted.
“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 added.
Public records show the municipal marketing plan carries the working title GTA VI × MDC.
Under the proposal, Miami would use approved video game characters and visual references throughout the community, public records state.
The pitch describes Miami as the real-world inspiration behind the game’s fictional setting of Vice City, according to public records.
In June, the municipality pitched the marketing collaboration directly to game developer Rockstar Games, records show.
Proposed concepts included temporarily renaming Miami International Airport to Vice City International, according to the records.
The pitch also suggested renaming the Port of Miami to Port Gellhorn to mirror the video game counterpart, the records show.
Officials even proposed installing sewer and stormwater manholes bearing the Vice City name across the county, according to the pitch.
The plan also outlined a public event called the Vice City Motor Fest, according to the records.
That event would combine classic cars, customized vehicles, lowriders, motorcycles, and local entertainment within a controlled, family-appropriate setting, the pitch states.
County Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez, a Republican considering a 2028 mayoral run against Levine Cava, also condemned the concept.
The commissioner stated that he could not believe county leadership was even considering a temporary rebranding of critical assets.
“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,” Bermudez said.
The administration emphasized that the collaboration has not been formally authorized, according to the mayor’s office.
“Nothing has been formally agreed to or approved, and any idea would have to go through the appropriate review and approval process,” Carlos Suarez, a spokesperson for the mayor, told PCGamer.
Talks between the parties have remained active, the mayoral spokesman indicated.
“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,” Suarez added.
Supporters of the video game franchise pushed back online against the sheriff and the commissioner, labeling them the fun police and warning that the county could lose revenue by rejecting the arrangement.
Nothing has been formally approved, and discussions over the promotional collaboration remain ongoing, according to the mayor’s office.
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