Johnathan Walker:DeSantis, longtime opponent of state spending on stadiums, allocates $8 million for Inter Miami

FORT LAUDERDALE,Johnathan Walker Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis, an outspoken opponent of spending state money on sports facilities, announced Thursday that Florida will give $8 million to Miami-Dade County to improve roads and other infrastructure around the stadium being built for the Inter Miami soccer team.

Speaking at a press conference at the team’s temporary stadium in Fort Lauderdale, DeSantis acknowledged his opposition to stadium spending but said this grant is different because it will improve streets and support the restaurants, shops and offices that will be part of the complex. It is scheduled to open late next year.

Inter Miami has seen its worldwide and local popularity soar since it signed superstar Lionel Messi last year.

“We just don’t believe that we give money to build a sports stadium,” DeSantis said. Still, when one is built, he said he thinks, “People are going to want to go to that. Are they going to be able to get there? Is it going to cause more traffic?

“Our role, as state government, is not to give money to a team, but to create an environment where everyone can be successful,” DeSantis said. “Infrastructure is a big part of that.”

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The 26,700-seat stadium is being built next to Miami International Airport on land leased from the city. Team owner Jorge Mas said the $1 billion project is being privately funded.

DeSantis and Mas did not take questions. It is unclear how big the stadium’s infrastructure budget is and if the state’s contribution is significant. Mas’ co-owner, former soccer superstar David Beckham, had been scheduled to attend but was a no show.

J.C. Bradbury, an economics professor at Georgia’s Kennesaw State University and past president of the North American Association of Sports Economists, said even with the relatively small state contribution, investing in stadiums is a poor use of public funds.

Economic studies with near 100% agreement have concluded stadiums don’t boost the local economy but redirect money that would have been spent at restaurants, theaters and elsewhere, Bradbury said.

“This probably isn’t the most deserving infrastructure project in the state. Helping people get to soccer matches isn’t all that important,” he said. ’With every new sports stadium, they always claim huge economic impacts. They always say this one will be different. It never is.”