FODS Trackout Control Mats - Inter Miami CF's Newest Star Player
FODS Trackout Control Mats - Inter Miami CF's Newest Star Player
Miami Freedom Park is a landmark $1.3 billion, privately funded sports and entertainment complex currently under construction in Miami, Florida. Positioned as the future home of Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami CF, led by Lionel Messi. This transformative development is reshaping the city’s urban landscape and environmental legacy. The centerpiece is a 25,000-seat stadium, but the project extends far beyond soccer. Over 131 acres, it includes a 58-acre public park—the largest new park in the city in over a century—alongside over 1 million square feet of mixed-use development including retail, restaurants, office space, a 750-room hotel, and extensive infrastructure upgrades.
Strategically located at the site of the former Melreese Country Club, adjacent to Miami International Airport, the project site has presented complex logistical and environmental challenges. Notably, the Melreese brownfield site was heavily contaminated from decades of incinerator ash dumping and chemical use, with soil containing high levels of arsenic, barium, and lead. Thus, construction has had to be executed with precision, not only to build an iconic sports and entertainment destination, but also to remediate and rehabilitate a historically toxic site into a safe, vibrant public space.
Project Stakeholders and Timeline:
The project is led by Miami Freedom Park, LLC—a development entity backed by Inter Miami CF owners Jorge Mas, Jose Mas, and David Beckham. Architecture and master planning are spearheaded by Miami-based Arquitectonica and global stadium design firm MANICA Architecture. Landscape architecture is managed by ArquitectonicaGEO. Thornton Tomasetti provides structural engineering, while CAA ICON serves as the lead project manager overseeing all development phases. Groundbreaking began in 2023 with the stadium expected to be completed by early 2026. Full project build-out—including the hotel and retail components—is scheduled to continue through 2030.
Challenge: Complex Logistics Meets Environmental Sensitivity
The Miami Freedom Park site posed a multi-dimensional challenge from day one. From a construction standpoint, it required managing a high volume of heavy vehicle traffic across a sprawling, phased construction site. From an environmental standpoint, developers were responsible for a $35–50 million soil remediation process, with oversight from the Miami-Dade Department of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), the EPA and FDOT. The site’s known toxic contaminants, especially arsenic, made it imperative that no additional pollutants leave the construction site, and that trackout—the process by which vehicle tires carry dirt, mud, and hazardous particulates onto public roads—be minimized.
Adding to the complexity was the proximity of Miami International Airport and several active roadways, which not only increased regulatory scrutiny but also necessitated the use of high-performance, non-invasive sediment control technologies. Traditional methods, like rock-stabilized entrances, were deemed inefficient and ill-suited for this scale and level of contamination. They posed risks of spreading debris, required constant maintenance, and often failed to meet BMP (Best Management Practices) for SWPPP and sediment control.
Solution: Deploying FODS Trackout Control Mats
In response to these challenges, the project’s environmental consultants and construction managers selected the FODS Trackout Control Mat system to serve as the primary sediment and debris control solution during the site’s early earthwork and continuing vertical construction phases.
FODS—short for Foreign Object Debris System—is a patented trackout control solution composed of durable, interlocking composite mats. These mats feature engineered ridges that mechanically remove mud, sediment, and debris from vehicle tires as they exit the site, without the need for rock fill or trenching. The mats are reusable, easy to install, and provide a cleaner, more sustainable alternative to conventional methods.
Installation and Integration into Construction Workflow:
FODS mats were deployed across key access points of the Miami Freedom Park jobsite, particularly at high-traffic entries near LeJeune Road and Northwest 37th Avenue. These entrances handle daily traffic from dump trucks, flatbeds, cranes, and excavation equipment. Each access point included layered mats to accommodate 10-20 passes per hour during peak operations. Mats were installed on compacted subgrade and fastened per manufacturer specifications to handle high load-bearing requirements.
Because the development is being phased—stadium first, followed by the public park, hotel, and commercial buildings—FODS mats were moved and redeployed throughout the site as construction zones evolved. This flexibility made it ideal for a long-term, multi-year megaproject.
Rendering of the New Miami Freedom Park
Key Benefits Delivered by FODS:
1. Regulatory Compliance and Environmental Protection
FODS mats directly supported compliance with City of Miami building codes and Miami-Dade County DERM environmental mandates. Inspectors conducted regular site visits to monitor SWPPP, erosion and sediment control practices. FODS mats are engineered ensuring that no additional contaminants spread into surrounding roadways or storm drains. The mats also helped enforce the clean fill protocol by minimizing contact between clean trucks and contaminated soil zones.
2. Effective Remediation Support
Given the site’s brownfield designation, the entire remediation plan depended on strict control of site egress. FODS mats played a pivotal role in ensuring that trucks moving through hazardous excavation areas did not spread polluted material beyond controlled boundaries. This helped contain arsenic and heavy metals, supporting both environmental and public health objectives.
3. Cost Savings and Reusability
Compared to traditional rock entrances, which require constant regrading, replenishment, and labor, FODS mats delivered significant hard cost and labor savings. The reusable mats could be stored on-site and repositioned without specialized equipment, reducing both material and manpower costs. On a project expected to span a decade, the cumulative savings on sediment control infrastructure were substantial.
4. Time and Operational Efficiency
Quick installation—usually within an hour—and the ability to relocate mats enabled crews to stay agile as the jobsite expanded. There was no downtime waiting for gravel deliveries or road grading. This was particularly valuable during the stadium’s foundational work and during utilities trenching when tight schedules and overlapping trades required precise coordination.
5. Minimal Surface Disruption
The non-invasive installation meant that subgrade remained intact. This was critical not only to protect contaminated soil layers (which should not be disturbed outside of approved remediation zones), but also to prevent unnecessary site disturbance near the park's future landscaping and tree preservation zones.
6. Positive Perception from Agencies and Stakeholders
FODS mats have been recognized by inspectors and agencies around the country as an innovative best practice, and are part of the project’s successful BMP implementation.
Broader Impact and legacy
Miami Freedom Park is more than just a stadium; it’s a case study in adaptive urban redevelopment. It transforms a contaminated golf course into a modern civic destination through sustainable infrastructure, green design, and public-private partnership. FODS Trackout Control Mats are a critical component of that transformation, not only as a compliance tool but also as a symbol of how construction technology can align with environmental stewardship.
The project is expected to generate $40 million in annual tax revenue, create over 15,000 jobs, and provide year-round public access to parkland and community sports fields. All of these outcomes are supported by thoughtful planning, including environmental safeguards like FODS that prevent ecological setbacks.
Miami Freedom Park
Lessons Learned:
For other large-scale construction projects, particularly those on brownfield sites or in urban areas such as the Miami Signature Bridge Project, FODS mats provide a scalable, cost-effective alternative to outdated sediment control methods. Their deployment at Miami Freedom Park demonstrates how early investment in innovative tools can produce long-term savings, regulatory ease, and public goodwill. Contractors planning similar projects should consider incorporating FODS mats at pre-construction planning stages to streamline permitting and inspections.
Conclusion:
By deploying FODS Trackout Control Mats, the Miami Freedom Park development team not only met critical environmental regulations but also advanced the project’s mission of building sustainably on a historically challenged site. From remediation to revenue generation, every phase of the development has benefited from clean, efficient, and flexible sediment control. FODS continues to prove itself as a forward-thinking solution for the next generation of environmentally conscious construction.
ABOUT FODS, LLC.
Based in Centennial Colorado, FODS is working to replace ineffective and costly traditional rock stabilized construction entrances, saving you time and money. Our proprietary mat design works to effectively remove debris from your vehicle tires without damaging the tire or the ground’s surface. FODS Vehicle Trackout Controls BMP mats are 100% Made In the USA and 100% recyclable.
To find out more information on how we can help your project stay on schedule and in compliance contact 844-643-7692 or email us at info@getfods.com.