The “Welcome to Vice City” sign is up on Miami’s Kaseya Center

Miami’s skyline now reads “Welcome to Vice City.” On Tuesday, September 22, a heavy-lift helicopter carried the giant pink and white letters one by one onto the roof of the Kaseya Center, home of the Miami Heat, and workers secured them to the arena (Local 10).

How it went

The area around the arena was closed off in the morning. GTAVice.net reports that the helicopter, a Sikorsky S-61N, took off at about 9:00 a.m., with Miami Fire Rescue and police on site. Fans and local reporters filmed the lift, and GameSpot collected the clips.

The deal

Rockstar is paying Miami-Dade County nearly $1 million for the sign. The county plans to use the money to develop a long-promised plot of land behind the arena for community use, such as a park (WLRN). Mayor Daniella Levine Cava signed the deal under her authority for contracts below $1 million.

Not everyone agreed. Commissioner Bermudez and Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz objected that the game glorifies crime, and Bermudez proposed sending the money to the Sheriff’s Office instead; the motion was withdrawn. Commissioner Keon Hardemon, whose district includes the arena, backed the deal.

Lit up on October 1

The sign lit up for the first time on October 1, the start of a joint campaign with the Miami Heat. On November 18 the team plays the Milwaukee Bucks under the Vice City name, on a special court and in a new uniform (A Night in Vice City).

The deal and other ideas, from manhole covers to a “Vice City Airport,” are in our earlier article on GTA 6 ads in Miami.