Miami Beach Debates Taking Millions From Rockstar To Advertise GTA 6: ‘We’re Not Giving Away Pistols And Cocaine To People’

Miami Beach commissioners spent a surprising amount of time on September 10 talking about Grand Theft Auto 6. Rockstar Games is courting the city, as well as the wider county, on deals worth millions to let the studio advertise its upcoming game on signs, beach umbrellas, and other parts of the local scenery. Some people wanted to take the money and use it to improve local parks and basketball courts. Others found it disgusting that you can shoot cops in GTA 6. The proposal ultimately passed 4-3.

That outcome was a forgone conclusion. The plan already had four sponsors when discussion began, but some of the Miami Beach commissioners took the opportunity to voice their disapproval of the deal, like David Suarez who showed footage from GTA 5 and the recent extended look at GTA 6 to argue the game went against the values Miami Beach was already spending a lot of money to promote.

📹 React brabo do Extended Look pra confirmar que GTA 6 é violento durante a comissão de Miami Beach. pic.twitter.com/709ZJIDvMj

— GTA 6 Info Brasil (@gtainfobr) September 10, 2026

“A Miami Beach police car just rolled over, and here’s another one, getting away with an AR-15 shooting as they’re fleeing,” he said at one point during the meeting while holding up a laptop showing the latest trailer. “Again, I just, this is, I don’t know, I certainly don’t want to see our brand associated with this video game, I don’t think it’s worth any amount of money.”

Monica Matteo-Salinas, however, was very strongly in favor of the motion and said she herself lakes to play GTA. “This is a win for gamers and gaming nerds such as myself,” she said. “I sent a video of me with my nerdy headset on playing this, I didn’t really, but I do play this game, and I do have a nerdy headset, and so, you know, all my video game friends unite to play this game…I understand and respect the concerns, okay, but I am a law abiding citizen, I don’t waterboard, I don’t even own a gun, I never have, but I do like playing this game…”

The GTA 6 debate with the Miami commission is gold… pic.twitter.com/C5MdONoXlU

— kd. (@yes2letters) September 11, 2026

It’s worth clarifying that under discussion was not whether to accept a marketing deal from Rockstar Games but whether to empower the city manager to negotiate and agreement on the city’s behalf, and try to get as many millions for the signage as possible. As Mayor Steven Meiner pointed out, that was by itself pretty odd.

Usually, he claimed, agreements and RFPs (requests for proposal) are shared with the commission for final review before sign-off. Not so with what Rockstar is planning, apparently. There was also some questions about whether a lobbyist may have been involved in getting the proposal fast-tracked through the commission. In any event, Rockstar seems likely to get its Miami Beach marketing stunt, even as the wider county continues negotiations on a separate but related advertising deal.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff, Rosie Cordero-Stutz, previously blasted the collaboration. “Grand Theft Auto is a video game franchise built around criminal activity,” she said last month. “Its 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.”

You can watch the full debate in the video below starting at around 7:19:00: