David Beckham Lovers

In June, during his early days exploring Miami as a location for his expansion Major League Soccer franchise, David Beckham toured Florida International University's stadium with his business partner, an eager investor, Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez and Commissioner Jose "Pepe" Diaz.

With their plans firming up, Beckham, business partner Simon Fuller and investor Marcelo Claure met again with Gimenez in November, this time in a dinner hosted by Claure, a Miami-based billionaire.

The potential problem: At no point did Beckham, Fuller or Claure register as lobbyists.

Miami-Dade's ethics commission is examining whether Beckham, his investors or their representatives broke any rules requiring lobbyists to register with county government before making a pitch to public officials.

A county ordinance requires lobbyists - including a company's "principals" - to register within five days of engaging in lobbying or being retained as a lobbyist.

It's unclear if Claure, an FIU trustee, was considered a principal when he brought Beckham, a retired English player, and Fuller, the British creator of American Idol, to FIU to try to sell them on Miami. But the three men would certainly be considered principals now that they have formally announced plans to bring an MLS franchise to Miami.

None of them have registered with the county, though several of their representatives handling negotiations over a new stadium have. Beckham's representatives could not be reached for comment.

A violation of the registration requirement can result in a fine or a temporary ban from County Hall, though that penalty is unusual.

Ethics investigators have asked Gimenez's administration and at least one county commissioner for details on their meetings with Beckham and representatives of his local corporate entity, Miami Beckham United. Most of the representatives have registered under Beckham's global company, Beckham Brand Limited.

The ethics investigation was first reported by the local Spanish-language blog Nelson Horta Reporta.

Mayor Gimenez and Commissioner Diaz toured FIU with Beckham and the others on June 6. The potential investors were looking for temporary locations where a soccer team might be able to play.

The first Beckham representatives to register as lobbyists - T. Spencer Crowley, Javier Fernandez and Neisen Kasdin of Miami's Akerman law firm - filed their forms five months later, on Nov. 6.

Gimenez dined with Beckham at Claure's home on Nov. 12. Among the lobbyists, at least Kasdin was present. They discussed possible sites for a permanent soccer stadium.

Two other Beckham representatives - John H. Alschuler Jr. and Cary Hirschstein of HR&A Advisors, a New York-based development firm - registered as lobbyists on Nov. 21. Another Akerman lawyer, Jose Villalobos, registered on Dec. 6.

Two commissioners have since met separately with Beckham's representatives. Commissioner Juan C. Zapata said he met twice in December with Alschuler, who was already registered. Zapata said ethics investigators have not contacted him looking for information.

Commissioner Xavier Suarez said he met twice in January with Alschuler. Investigators have asked him for details on those meetings, the commissioner said, noting that Alschuler had registered "way before" setting foot in Suarez's office.

Other commissioners have since met Beckham himself, particularly during his visit last week in which he and MLS Commissioner Don Garber campaigned for the county to help the soccer investors land a stadium.

The Miami-Dade ethics commission is investigating whether David Beckham or his investors broke county rules by meeting with public officials without registering as lobbyists.

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