Voters Reject Virginia Key Marina Lease Deal
The city must now decide whether to re-bid the 28-acre Marine Stadium and Rickenbacker marina lease or run them itself.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in City Hall
Live Poll
Should Miami lease public waterfront land to private developers for marina redevelopment?
Miami voters rejected a plan to lease about 28 acres of city-owned Virginia Key land to a developer for marina redevelopment, with roughly 65% voting no as of 8 p.m. The same ballot approved a $450 million bond package for police and fire-rescue facilities.
Why it matters
The rejection keeps city waterfront land in public hands for now, and Miamians who use the Rickenbacker Causeway and its marinas will see what comes next. The Virginia Key lease was opposed both by a campaign to save the Gramps Getaway bar and by environmentalists seeking to protect Biscayne Bay, and the city must now decide how to move forward.
Election-night tallies put the Virginia Key lease rejection at about 65% to 35%, against a proposed 45-year term and $2.2 million in minimum annual base rent. The $450 million Safe and Ready Miami bonds passed with about 60% support, and it is not yet clear when the city will restart the bidding process.
The players
Miami City Commission
The city's legislative body that placed the Virginia Key lease question on the ballot and will decide how to restart the bidding process.
Virginia Key LLC
The partnership of Suntex Marinas and RCI Marine Group that proposed the 45-year Virginia Key marina lease.
Suntex Marinas
A marina operator and one of the two companies composing Virginia Key LLC.
RCI Marine Group
A marine company and the other partner in Virginia Key LLC.
The details
Ballot question #3 would have leased about 28 acres of city-owned Virginia Key land to Virginia Key LLC, a partnership of Suntex Marinas and RCI Marine Group, covering the Marine Stadium Marina and the Rickenbacker Marina. The rejected deal set a minimum base rent of $2.2 million a year plus a percentage of revenues and included an estimated $80 million in marina redevelopment spending. Under city rules, waterfront leases or sales must be approved by voters, and the question reached the ballot after a judge ordered commissioners to place it there, following a 2017 proposal that spent years in litigation. The City Commission will likely start the bidding process over again, and the city could also consider operating the Rickenbacker Marina itself.
Timeline
2017: Original Virginia Key lease proposal submitted, starting years of litigation
August 2026: Miami voters approved a separate referendum on Marine Stadium operation
November 3, 2026: Voters rejected the Virginia Key lease and approved the bond and charter referendums
Beyond the 305
City-owned waterfront deals in Miami must go to voters under the referendum rule, which is why this Virginia Key lease reached the ballot after years of litigation starting with a 2017 proposal. The rejection extends that pattern by showing voters are willing to turn down a marina deal while approving the $450 million Safe and Ready Miami bonds for police and fire-rescue facilities.
Anyone who keeps a boat at the Rickenbacker or Marine Stadium marinas should expect the city to decide next whether to re-bid the lease or run the marina itself. The $450 million bond program will fund police and fire-rescue facilities, so residents may see those projects move forward in the coming years.
The takeaway
The vote shows Miami residents will weigh in directly on city waterfront deals, so watch for the commission's next move on the Virginia Key bidding process. Keep an eye on how the Rickenbacker Causeway marinas are managed in the months ahead, since that decision will shape access for boaters and visitors.
Further reading
For more on how the commission and mayor handle city land and budgets, see City Hall.
Live Poll
Should Miami lease public waterfront land to private developers for marina redevelopment?
