Kaseya Center's 'Welcome to Vice City' sign: who approved it, what it cost and how long it stays

Downtown Miami’s newest landmark is a paid promotion for a video game. Since Sept. 22, the roof of Kaseya Center, the county-owned home of the Miami Heat, has carried the words “Welcome to Vice City,” the name of the Miami stand-in in Rockstar Games’ Grand Theft Auto VI. Here is what local reporting shows about how the sign got there, who signed off, what the county gets and how long it stays.

The sign at a glance

• Installed: Tuesday afternoon, Sept. 22, 2026. Crews used a helicopter to lift each letter onto the roof and then secured them (WPLG Local 10; CBS News Miami).
• Look: Large pink and white letters, according to Local 10. GTA BOOM puts the display at about 4,700 square feet.
• Lit: At the start of October. CBS News Miami posted video of the illuminated sign on the morning of Oct. 1. The Heat’s announcement of its Nov. 18 Vice City game dates its Rockstar partnership to the Oct. 1 lighting.
• Price: Miami-Dade County gets $975,000, the Miami Herald reported.

Who approved it

The mayor signed the deal and the County Commission did not vote on it. According to the Herald, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed the agreement on Sept. 10. Her office gave the document to the newspaper on Sept. 22, answering a request the Herald had made on Sept. 11. The Herald also reports that the county worked out the terms with the Heat as well as with Rockstar.

Commissioners heard about the deal during the county’s second budget hearing, which ran past 1:40 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18 (Local 10). There, chief of staff Christopher Hudtwalcker said Rockstar was paying close to $1 million and that more county properties were in talks for signs. The commission’s chairman, Anthony Rodriguez, said he did not yet have enough detail. Hudtwalcker promised a fuller briefing before the next meeting. According to the USA TODAY Network, Hudtwalcker called it a joint marketing agreement and said the arena deal was the only one signed so far.

Gaming outlets including GTA BOOM reported that the price kept the deal under a $1 million line that would have required a commission vote. We could not confirm that this limit applies here. For years the county’s procurement code set the mayor’s delegated contract authority at $1 million. Ordinance 24-122, scheduled for a public hearing in November 2024, was written to raise that limit to $5 million for competitively bid purchasing contracts. We have not confirmed its final status, or which rule, if any, applies to a revenue agreement like this one.

Where the money is meant to go

The Herald reports that the mayor’s office presents the deal as new revenue. Levine Cava hopes to put the money toward a park that has been planned for years on Parcel B, the county-owned waterfront lot behind the arena. Local 10 said commissioners still have to decide how the revenue can be used for that site, which is also called Dan Paul Plaza.

How long it stays

The end date is the least settled part of the story. gHacks, in an article that draws on GamesRadar’s coverage, reported two possible end dates, with the later one applying: one year after installation, or the Heat’s final home game of the 2026-27 season on April 11, 2027. The same article says the agreement required the letters to be up by Oct. 15 (gHacks).

Taken literally, those terms run past April. One year after a Sept. 22, 2026, installation is late September 2027, which is later than the April 11 game. Several headlines nonetheless say “until April 2027.” Before the sign went up, GTA BOOM suggested 2028, crediting earlier coverage by the fan site GTAVice.net. We have not seen the agreement, and the county has not published a removal date.

Supporters and critics

Commissioners were split at the Sept. 18 hearing. Commissioner Keon Hardemon defended the game, saying how violent it gets depends on the choices players make (Herald; Local 10). Commissioner Juan Carlos “JC” Bermudez said any future money from the game should go to the sheriff’s office (Local 10).

Off the dais, Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz objected to the partnership in a statement earlier in September (CBS News Miami). The Miami-Dade County Association of Chiefs of Police also came out against any county partnership that would brand the area “Vice City.” Its president, Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen, said the game glorifies violence (CBS News Miami).

Where you can see it

The lettering lies across the arena roof. CBS News Miami says some travelers flying into Miami International Airport will be able to see it from the air. No lighting schedule has been published, and no source we found names street-level or high-rise spots with a clear view.

What we don’t know yet

• The exact removal date, and whether the agreement allows an extension.
• The contract text. The county released the agreement to the Herald. We have not obtained a copy and have not found it posted on any county website.
• The lighting schedule: whether the sign is lit every night, and for how long.
• Other county sites. Hudtwalcker said more signs were under negotiation. Ideas floated earlier for the airport, bus stops and manhole covers had not been agreed as of Sept. 3, according to the mayor’s office (CBS News Miami).
• How the $975,000 will be budgeted for the Parcel B park.

In the game, the arena under the sign is the Sahara Arena. Our Sahara Arena location page compares the two and lists the tours that pass by.