Proposals for a city-wide marketing takeover by Rockstar for GTA 6 has been slammed by the local Sheriff and Commissioner.
Last month, a pitch sent to Rockstar by the Mayor of Miami-Dade County’s office was leaked. It contained a number of ideas on how Rockstar and Miami-Dade County could collaborate on a big marketing push come the game’s launch.
Billboards, trains, buildings and more were under review for being covered in GTA VI artwork. Temporarily Miami International Airport to Vice City Airport was even an idea put forward. Rockstar would be paying for this, not the tax payer. The county see this as a big financial opportunity for tourism. As of now, no proposal has been formally agreed on. That said, law enforcement do not want it to happen.
The Law Responds
Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz put out a press release slamming the plans. The duo said the issue is not whether Grand Theft Auto VI will generate global attention for Miami-Dade County but whether the County should use its public resources, facilities, and globally recognized brand to promote a fictional depiction of Miami centered on crime, violence, and lawlessness.
“I still cannot believe that we are even considering temporarily rebranding important County assets, including Miami International Airport, as ‘Vice City Airport.’ 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.
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.
Miami-Dade County is not Vice City.”
Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz
There’s also a political side to all of this. Levine Cava, the Mayor is a Democrat whereas both the Commissioner and Sheriff are Republican. The former is also wanting to replace the current Mayor. The Miami Herald reports how the Commissioner wants to increase tax funding for the independent agency by 12% vs Cava’s 6%. Based on this, there is speculation this is a political move by the Commissioner and Sheriff rather than a simple dislike towards GTA.
In contrast, the courts of Florida do not object to the proposals. However, the chief judge request all courthouses are excluded from any sort of marketing as per a letter sent to the Mayor. They even say they respect the creativity of GTA this is not intended to diminish the County’s plans. That’s a fair request. It seems like the courts are more understanding than the sheriff.
We’ll have to wait and see if any in-person marketing stunt takes place in Miami this year.
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