Attorney David Winker. Attorney David Winker. Photo: J. Albert Diaz

A soccer club that lost its bid to redevelop Fort Lauderdale's Lockhart Stadium to David Beckham's plan for a soccer training facility is suing to stop the project.

FXE Futbol LLC has sued Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beckham United LLC alleging an agreement between the city and Beckham's soccer group illegally green-lights the demolition of Lockhart Stadium.

FXE Futbol, led by managing director John Reynal, envisioned a sports and entertainment complex on the 65-acre site near the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport with a $35 million renovation of Lockhart.

Miami Beckham United's proposal calls for demolition of the stadium and construction of a multi-purpose venue and a youth soccer academy. It also calls for a public park, dog park and up to a 32,000-square-foot building for classrooms, lockers, medical offices and dining facilities.

“We can no longer stand on the sidelines while our due process is being violated,” Reynal said in a statement. “Not only do we believe the ranking was carried out without the proper statutory review, but the subsequent signing of the interim agreement to demolish Lockhart would render our proposal impossible to deliver.”

Beckham's Inter Miami Major League Soccer team is set to start playing next year. It's in talks with Miami to build a 25,000-seat stadium and 1 million square feet of unrelated development on the city-owned Melreese golf course east of Miami International Airport. Last November, the group got voter approval to begin negotiations with the city on a long-term lease.

In the meantime, Miami Beckham United submitted an unsolicited proposal Jan. 28 to Fort Lauderdale to demolish Lockhart and build training facilities, the youth academy and a new stadium. The plan is for Inter Miami to initially play there until its Miami stadium is finished.

Under state law, the unsolicited submission meant Fort Lauderdale had to open the door to others to turn in offers to develop the city-owned site at 1350 NW 55th St.

FXE Futbol had been working with the city for more than a year on a proposal to redevelop the public property but suddenly had until March 1 to turn in its proposal, said David Winker, who filed the lawsuit Monday in Broward Circuit Court.

The City Commission ranked Miami Beckham United's proposal ahead of FXE's. The commission on April 2 unanimously approved an interim agreement with Miami Beckham.

Both the city of Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beckham United on Tuesday called Winker's lawsuit meritless and maintained they reached their deal in line with applicable law.

“The city's process and protocols in the analysis of both projects and the ultimate ranking of Inter Miami's and FXE Futbol's unsolicited proposals, as well as the scope of the interim agreement with Inter Miami, fully comport with Florida Statutes and the city charter,” City Attorney Alain Boileau said in an emailed statement.

Miami Beckham's attorney, Shubin & Bass founding partner John Shubi, added the group is “very confident that, when the facts are properly applied to the applicable law, it will be determined that this lawsuit has no merit.”

FXE also argued Miami Beckham and its lobbyist falsely insisted at public meetings that FXE's renovation plan wouldn't work because the stadium has “a tremendous amount of asbestos.”

The complaint also alleges the city broke state law on public-private partnerships by not doing an “independent analysis” of the unsolicited proposals.

Winker argues in the city charter calls for competitive bidding for leasing the Lockhart site.

The lawsuit asks for a writ of mandamus, seeks declaratory and injunctive relief and alleges city charter violations, tortious interference and injurious falsehood.

Winker has filed several lawsuits over the soccer deal, including two pending in Miami-Dade Circuit Court over the Melreese plan. An ethics complaint he filed with the Miami-Dade County Ethics Commission alleging improper lobbyist registration was dismissed in March.

Related stories: 

David Beckham, Mas Brothers Cleared of Improper Lobbying Claims

Failure to Specify Location Should Kill Miami Soccer Stadium Talks, Lawsuit Says

Miami Sued — Again — Over David Beckham Soccer Stadium Plan