I am based in Orlando. I was born and raised here, and it is home in every sense of the word. But if you asked me where most of my professional world exists right now, one of my most honest answers would be Miami.
The Speakers Only Miami panel I spoke on in April was in Miami. The athlete-hosted youth football camp I attended earlier this month was in Hollywood, Florida. Most of the events I have been part of, the conversations that have moved things forward, and the relationships I am actively building all seem to pull in that direction. It is something I notice more the longer I do this work.
Miami has become one of the more active sports markets in the country. Inter Miami CF, the Miami HEAT, the Miami Dolphins, and a growing ecosystem of sports organizations, agencies, and properties are all doing interesting things in that market simultaneously. It draws people, events, and investment in a way that creates real opportunity for anyone working in or around the industry. And it keeps finding its way into my professional life.
Which is part of why today’s announcement from League One Volleyball caught my attention in a personal way.
LOVB announced its 10th pro team today, LOVB Miami, set to debut during the 2026-27 season. The league launched in January 2025 with six teams after securing more than $100 million in funding, with investors including Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and Kevin Durant. Alongside the Miami expansion, LOVB is introducing an Eastern and Western Conference format for season three. Miami will play in the Eastern Conference alongside Atlanta, Madison, Minnesota, and Nebraska.
The case for Miami as a volleyball market is well established. The University of Miami has one of the most recognized volleyball programs in the region, and the city has deep roots in Latina, Brazilian, and Caribbean communities that have long supported the sport at the club level. LOVB already has youth clubs in the Miami-Doral area through Club 305 Volleyball and Game Point Volleyball, both of which have produced players who have advanced to collegiate and professional programs. The professional team is a natural extension of infrastructure that already existed.
From a sports PR standpoint, that community-first model is one of the verticals I find most interesting. LOVB was built from the club level up, which means it entered markets where an engaged audience already existed rather than trying to build one from scratch after the announcement. That foundation changes the communications work significantly. When an organization has genuine roots in a market, the story it tells about itself is more credible and more durable over time. LOVB Commissioner Sandra Osayuki Idehen described Miami’s deeply rooted volleyball community as a key factor in the decision, and that framing reflects a league that understands the relationship between community presence and long-term growth.
For me, this announcement is also a reminder of something I think about often as someone building a career in sports PR from Orlando. The work does not always happen where you live. The relationships, the events, and the opportunities that shape where your career goes can exist anywhere, and being willing to show up in the places where things are happening is part of how you build something real over time. Miami keeps showing up in my professional life. I have stopped being surprised by it and started paying closer attention to why.
You can also read this issue and subscribe to Built in Public on LinkedIn: Built in Public
Built in Public is a newsletter where Amani Marie documents her growth as a young sports public relations professional in real time. It focuses on what she is learning, what she is observing across the industry, and the people and work that stand out.
Some issues will examine moments in sports and how they are communicated. Others will reflect on career development, access, and what it takes to build in this space over time.
This is intended to be a space for learning, sharing perspective, and tracking progress along the way.
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