MIAMI — Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz blasted a proposed marketing tie-in that would temporarily dress Miami as Grand Theft Auto VI’s Vice City, arguing county government should not promote a franchise built around crime, the New York Post reported Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026.

“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,” Cordero-Stutz said. She added that the 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.”

The pitch, dubbed GTA VI × MDC and aimed at Rockstar Games, floated renaming Miami International Airport to Vice City International and the Port of Miami to Port Gellhorn, installing Vice City-labeled manholes, and staging a Vice City Motor Fest, according to public records cited by the Post.

Police Commissioner Juan Carlos Bermudez, a possible 2028 mayoral challenger, said he “cannot believe” the city is “even considering temporarily rebranding important county assets,” and that Miami-Dade should promote the real community “not a fictional version … defined by crime and violence.”

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s office said nothing has been formally agreed. Spokesperson Carlos Suarez told PC Gamer: “Nothing has been formally agreed to or approved, and any idea would have to go through the appropriate review and approval process.” He also said Miami-Dade’s influence on the game could be “a unique opportunity to generate revenue for the County while showcasing Miami-Dade to a massive audience.” Online fans mocked the sheriff and commissioner as the “fun police,” the Post reported.

Sources