MIAMI – Soccer star David Beckham arrived in South Florida Friday to continue talks about bringing a possible Major League Soccer stadium to Miami.
MLS commissioner Don Garber, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and other county and city leaders are expected to attend the meeting.
The Miami Herald reports that Beckham will also meet with outgoing University of Miami President Donna Shalala to discuss the possibly of having a co-stadium.
Miami-Dade County commissioners voted in March to offer Beckham a stadium site near Marlins Park.
Beckham's group has already been denied preferred spots at PortMiami and next to the American Airlines Arena.
The old Orange Bowl site next to Marlins Park could also be an option, but critics have long said that a soccer stadium would only create more congestion in the Little Havana neighborhood.
UM's football team has been playing at Sun Life Stadium but have been wanting to move closer to campus. If Beckham and Shalala come to an agreement, the new stadium would serve as a venue for football and soccer games.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez said no public money will be used for the stadium, but said public land could be used.
"It may be county land. We don't have a site yet, and I don't think they have a site yet," Gimenez said. "They may have a preferred site (and) it may be next to Marlins stadium, it may be somewhere closer to downtown, but I think the county somehow will be involved with this and maybe the city will be involved with this. So, it's just the beginning of a process. Plus, I don't even know that they have an agreement."
Miami Beckham United release a statement Friday saying Beckham, Marcelo Claure and Simon Fuller "are making progress toward bringing an MLS club to Miami-Dade County. We're in the process of identifying viable sites and are entertaining a number of options. We look forward to sharing positive news with our fans soon."
Follow Local 10 Sports on Twitter @Local10Sports