The Miami-Dade County Sheriff blasted a proposal that would temporarily transform Miami into a real-life version of Grand Theft Auto 6’s Vice City.
Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, a self-described “tough-on-crime” Republican, slammed Miami-Dade’s Democratic Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for a potential marketing tie-in with the game’s creator, Rockstar Games.
The upcoming and highly anticipated video game takes place in a fictional southern Florida city, with players taking part in murders and other depravity.
“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.
“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.
As part of the plan, dubbed GTA VI × MDC, Miami — described as “the real-world inspiration for Vice City” — would be transformed using “approved GTA VI characters or visual references,” if approved, according to public records.
Some of the ideas pitched by the city to the gaming developer include renaming Miami International Airport to Vice City International and the Port of Miami to Port Gellhorn — which serve as the locations’ in-game counterparts — and installing Vice City-labeled sewer and stormwater manholes.
The city even went as far as proposing a Vice City Motor Fest event, which would “combine classic cars, customized vehicles, lowriders, motorcycles, tropical graphics, and local entertainment within a controlled, family-appropriate setting,” according to the pitch.
Police Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez, a Republican weighing a 2028 challenge to Levine Cava for her seat as mayor, also weighed in and attacked his political foe over the proposal, saying that he “cannot believe” the city is “even considering temporarily rebranding important county 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 marketing plan hasn’t been approved, 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.
But discussions were still ongoing.
“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.
Fans of the series have attacked the sheriff and commissioner online, calling them the “fun police” and saying the city could miss out on potential revenue by shooting down the deal.
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