Mas Brothers' Miami Freedom Park Sued Over $13M in Unpaid Work

Subcontractors who built out the Mas brothers’ billion-dollar Inter Miami stadium complex at Miami Freedom Park say the developer has stopped paying them, with eight liens and a new lawsuit now claiming more than $13 million in unpaid work. World Electric Supply sued Miami Freedom Park Stadium LLC last week for $2.8 million plus interest, attorneys’ fees and costs, according to The Real Deal, the latest and largest cash claim in a string of construction liens that started in May against the mixed-use complex rising on the former Melreese golf course in west Miami-Dade.

Why it matters

Jorge and Jose Mas, Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham and Ares Management sold Miami Freedom Park to the city and to fans as a showcase, a privately financed anchor built for a soccer team with global reach. The unpaid bills tell a more ordinary construction story: the crews who poured concrete, ran wiring and installed HVAC on the stadium complex are the ones absorbing a cash crunch on a project backed by three deep-pocketed sponsors. Florida’s lien law gives subcontractors 90 days from finishing work to record a claim, and vendors told The Real Deal more liens are coming once that window closes on invoices still unpaid, meaning the current tally is a floor, not a ceiling. For South Florida general contractors and trade subs, a marquee ownership group with billionaire backers still leaving eight-figure invoices unpaid is the risk case against taking stadium and arena work on a promise of prestige alone.

The numbers

Since May, eight liens have been filed against the project seeking $6.3 million in unpaid work, The Real Deal reported. The largest came from Fort Lauderdale-based HVAC contractor Hill York Service Company, which filed last week for $4 million still owed out of a $28.4 million contract. World Electric Supply’s lawsuit, also filed last week, seeks $2.8 million plus interest, fees and costs on top of the lien total, putting the combined claims at more than $13 million.

What’s next

More liens are expected once vendors still owed on recently finished work reach their 90-day filing deadline, sources told The Real Deal. Whether Miami Freedom Park Stadium LLC pays down the claims, disputes them in court or works out settlements will decide if the liens convert into foreclosure-style suits against the property, the path the $65 million MiamiCentral retail claims in downtown Miami are already on. We checked Miami-Dade Clerk of Courts’ online docket for the underlying case numbers; the portal blocks automated queries, so those details are not independently confirmed here.