In the years leading up to financial close of the Port of Miami Tunnel project, the local county had agreed to spend USD $347 million on a new baseball stadium with significant scepticism from the public. The agreement was and is still controversial, with the real costs, including cost of borrowing, being argued to be higher than published. As a result, government expenditure on construction was expected to be scrutinised more closely, especially on a high-profile project such as a new tunnel. This reinforced the need to prioritise community engagement and inclusion, particularly during the high-risk construction phase. There was a great emphasis on the need to include the local community in the benefits of the project.

This project was tendered in the heat of the Global Financial Crisis, with the Florida Department of Transport selecting a consortium, Miami Access Tunnel, as the preferred bidder in 2008. The majority equity investor at that stage was Babcock and Brown, who went bankrupt before financial close. Meridiam subsequently joined the consortium as the majority equity investor to replace Babcock and Brown and financial close was reached with the Project Company, MAT Concessionaire, LLC, in 2009.