The Miami-Dade County sheriff criticized 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 Democratic Mayor Daniella Levine Cava over a possible marketing tie-up with the game’s creator, Rockstar Games. The upcoming, highly anticipated video game takes place in a fictional South Florida town, and players engage in murder and other depravity. “Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise based on criminal activity; we must seriously consider the message we send when our own government promotes a fictional identity centered on many of those same crimes,” the sheriff said. Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, a Republican, criticized a proposal by the mayor to temporarily transform Miami into a real-life version of the fictional version of Grand Theft Auto 6 known as Vice City. AFP via Getty Images “His fictional world includes murder, robbery, drug trafficking, car theft, violence against law enforcement and other conduct that the men and women of the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office work every day to prevent,” Cordero-Stutz added. As part of the plan, called 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. The Miami Sheriff harshly criticized Mayor Daniella Levine Cava for a marketing collaboration proposal presented by the municipality in June to Rockstar Games that would turn Miami into the fictional Vice City. Rockstar Games Some of the ideas presented by the city to the game developer include renaming Miami International Airport to Vice City International and the Port of Miami to Port Gellhorn, which serve as counterparts to locations in the game, and installing sewers and stormwater wells labeled Vice City. The city even went so far as to propose a Vice City Motor Fest event, which would “combine classic cars, custom vehicles, lowriders, motorcycles, tropical graphics and local entertainment within a controlled, family-friendly environment,” according to the speech. Police Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez, a Republican who is considering challenging Levine Cava for her mayoral seat in 2028, also weighed in and attacked his political foe over the proposal, saying he “can’t believe” the city is “even considering temporarily renaming important county assets. Jason, one of the characters in “GTA 6,” shooting at police. Rockstar Games/YouTube fictional image of our community defined by crime and violence,” Bermúdez said. The marketing plan has not been approved, according to the mayor’s office. “Nothing has been formally agreed upon or approved, and any ideas would have to go through the appropriate review and approval process,” Carlos Suárez, a spokesman for the mayor, told PCGamer. Lucía, a “GTA 6” character, angers the police as the couple flees from the police after robbing a store in the game’s trailer. Rockstar Games / YouTube But discussions still They continued. “Given Miami-Dade’s clear influence in the game, we believe there could be a unique opportunity to generate revenue for the county while also showcasing Miami-Dade to a mass audience,” Suarez added. Fans of the series have attacked the sheriff and commissioner online, calling them the “fun police” and saying the city could lose potential revenue if it rejects the deal.
