Miami-Dade sheriff opposes turning the county into real-life 'Vice City'

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Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz is publicly opposing a potential marketing partnership that would have Grand Theft Auto VI publisher Rockstar Games pay the county for Vice City themed promotions tied to the game's November 19th launch. A 19-page pitch deck, obtained through a public records request by The Miamian, outlined ideas including temporarily renaming Miami International Airport as Vice City Airport, wrapping the Metromover transit system in GTA branding, and installing custom Vice City manhole covers throughout Downtown Miami and Brickell

County officials confirmed discussions with Rockstar have taken place since a June 29th pitch presentation, but stressed that nothing has been formally approved. Cordero-Stutz argued that Miami-Dade County is not Vice City, framing the franchise as built around criminal activity and violence, while Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez separately criticized the airport renaming idea specifically, arguing the county should promote its real reputation rather than a fictional version associated with crime

A Local 10 report found mixed public reaction to the proposal, with some residents describing the potential promotion as fun while others worried it could reinforce negative stereotypes about the city. It remains unclear how much money the county was seeking from Take-Two Interactive and Rockstar Games for the deal, or whether talks will continue given the public backlash. Curious what people think about cities partnering with video game publishers for this kind of location based marketing tie-in, does leaning into a game's fictional version of your city make sense promotionally, or does it risk exactly the reputational concerns being raised here

Florida sheriff fights bizarre GTA 6 campaign to turn Miami into real-life Vice City - Dexertowww.dexerto.com