Ultra

[Unregistered]

Ultra wants back to the beach badly.
MBUnited stands strong against.


New Business and Commission Requests




COMMISSION MEMORANDUM

TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Commissioner Ricky Arriola
DATE: May 22, 2019




SUBJECT: DISCUSSION TO AUTHORIZE THE CITY MANAGER TO BEGIN DISCUSSIONS WITH ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL TO DETERMINE THE FEASIBILITY OF HOSTING ULTRA MUSIC FESTIVAL 2020 AT LUMMUS PARK PROVIDED THAT AN ADEQUATE PUBLIC SAFETY, TRANSPORTATION, AND NOISE MITIGATION PLAN BE PROVIDED.
ANALYSIS

On May 6, 2019 Miami Beach United (MBU) transmitted a resolution to the City of Miami Beach regarding the family of ordinances that were proposed at the May 8, 2019 City Commission meeting "in response to the unfortunate events of March 2019 and other similar high- impact weekends over the past few years." In that resolution, MBU indicated their recommendation and support for counter-programming during high impact weekends.

MBU asked the Commission to consider "the difference between Memorial Day weekend before the addition of the Air and Sea show, when visitors used to come down to a giant blank canvas that turned into a giant stretch of chaos, vs now, when visitors come and can choose to participate in a significant event based in and around the MXE. The city is not shut down, all are still welcome, and we still have an enormous influx of guests in town for the long weekend."

On the same day as the May 8, 2019 City Commission, the Miami Herald reported that Ultra Music Festival canceled its contract with the City of Miami after a twenty-year relationship. Given these circumstances, I ask for the Commission to authorize the City Manager to begin discussions with Ultra Music Festival to determine the feasibility of hosting Ultra Music Festival 2020 at Lummus Park provided that an adequate public safety, transportation, and noise mitigation plan be provided.

The month of March is one of the nicest months of the year. In my view, closing down the public beach, as it has been proposed, for the entire month of March would not only be unfeasible, but also disastrous to our small businesses and hotels. Inviting an established, well-organized event like Ultra for Spring Break 2020 will put heads in beds and serve as the counter-programming mechanism against the unorganized chaos that was Spring Break 2019 on Miami Beach.

Legislative Tracking
Commissioner Ricky Arriola

ATTACHMENTS:
Description
MBU Resolution
Ultra Letter

Discussion To Authorize The City Manager To Begin Discussions With Ultra Music Festival
Agenda Item R9-A
While Miami Beach United applauds the quick instinct to try to secure counter-programming for the month of March in order to regain quality of life during this high-impact month, at this time we do not support entering into discussions to bring the Ultra Music Festival back to Miami Beach. While there are arguments to be made in favor of doing so, none trump the ultimate quality of life issues which, at this time, remain unresolved, and based on what we know about plans for this event, would not be sufficiently addressed. While in the future, working with the producers of Ultra to do a music event that can be dispersed throughout relevant venues and timeframes may be worth exploring. until order is restored to the Beach during the month of March, bringing in an event of this magnitude that hasn’t been sufficiently reconfigured to address noise, traffic, and crime issues is adding fuel to an already too-hot fire. We encourage the Commission to continue working toward better enforcement of laws already on the books as well as proactively seeking out counter-programming that can improve, not further deteriorate, the quality of life and security for residents of Miami Beach during the month of March.

[Unregistered]

ULTRA for Miami Beach was SHUT DOWN at the commission meeting last week 5 - 2, It is not going to happen.

THe City of Miami are already having second thoughts about losing Ultra and might very well let it stay where it was.

https://edm.com/news/miami-beach-app...ra-lummus-park

Ultra Music Festival has one fewer potential host in regards to their 2020 relocation. Less than 24 hours have passed since the Homestead City Council approved a 10-year contract that would allow the festival to run until 2:00 AM at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Now, the City of Miami Beach Commission has voted 5-2 in against letting their manager approach Ultra's organizers about hosting the event at Lummus Park.

In his initial remarks, commissioner Ricky Arriola mentioned the issue of rambunctious Spring Breakers negatively impacting Miami Beach. At one point he suggested that officials might propose to Ultra that they hold a smaller satellite event on the island, and expressed an unwillingness to let the festival run until 2:00 AM as had been negotiated by the Homestead City Council.

When the commission opened the floor to the public, those for, against and on the fence about Ultra's relocation to Miami Beach shared their perspectives. Hoteliers and club owners predictably spoke in favor of hosting the festival, with other residents questioning whether the city's infrastructure could support the event. A spokesperson on behalf of Miami Beach Pride was among those who expressed concerns - namely that their event was only a few days after Ultra and needed a five-day load in.

By and large, the City of Miami Beach Commission Meeting exhibited far more openness to Ultra than last year's deliberations leading up to their Virginia Key relocation. In the end, however, the commissioners voted against them approaching the festival's organizers.

Ultra Music Festival debuted in 1999 in Miami Beach's Collins Park. By 2001, the event had outgrown their home location and moved to Bayfront Park on the mainland. Last year the Miami City Commission voted down the festival's contract to remain at Bayfront in 2019 and beyond. After a tumultuous 2019 edition on Virginia Key, the festival's organizers were set to participate in a May 9th meeting to determine whether they would remain on the island. The day beforehand, however, they announced plans to host the 2020 event outside of Miami.

Following a "City of Miami Sunshine Meeting" that revealed officials' desire to lure Ultra Music Festival back downtown, the matter is set for further discussion on May 27th.