Vroom Vroom from p7 Chase Carey, who took the helm of Formula 1 following the acquisition, revealed in 2017 that F1 would seek to set up new U.S. racing circuits in “destination cities” — areas that could attract tourists from around the globe and keep them busy for an entire week. “The race will remain the center of the event, but overall it will be more than just a Formula 1 weekend,” Carey promised. As a tropical tourist hotspot with a penchant for entertain- ment spectacles and a track record of accommodating high- level sporting events even amid controversy, South Florida evidently fit the bill. In May 2018, Formula 1 confirmed that it was eyeing down- town Miami as the site of the first F1 race in Florida in de- cades. Negotiations began ramping up between Miami-Dade County, Formula 1, and Dolphins owner Ross, a real estate de- veloper who made his fortune as founder of the global firm the Related Companies. Complicating matters for the county, however, Mayor Giménez’s son was serving as a lobbyist for Formula 1, according to court documents. In mid-2018, Giménez purportedly recused himself from issues surrounding F1. Formula 1 backed off plans to run a race in downtown Miami after a group of residents hired lawyers and sent a cease-and-de- sist letter to the city. The focus then shifted to holding the race at the Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, a venue with a history of hosting Super Bowls, musical concerts with massive attendance, and countless other high-profile events. Like the downtown Miami denizens before them, many Miami Gardens locals mounted opposition. At public meet- ings, they complained were burnt out from a never-ending stream of large-scale events at the stadium, and that the planned Miami Grand Prix would be the proverbial final straw. Bringing annual F1 races to Miami Gardens, they ar- gued, would be akin to hosting a Super Bowl every year in terms of traffic gridlock and community disruption. Oliver Gilbert, Miami Gardens’ mayor at the time, echoed the concerns at a county meeting. “This has to be a good place to live...not just visit. Formula 1 will bring in people, but the people who live here matter,” Oliver said. Photo by G.W. Romer via State Archives of Florida/Florida Memory Driver Earl DeVore at Fulford-Miami Speedway’s one and only race, on February 22, 1926. The North Miami Beach track was leveled by the Great Miami Hurricane of September 1926. In response to the community outcry, the county commis- sion passed a resolution in October 2019 that heavily regu- lated auto racing events. The measure required noise and pollution studies for certain racing events and prohibited auto racing-related street closures in residential areas. Giménez, despite having previously recused himself from Formula 1 matters, vetoed the race restrictions. He denied any conflict of interest, pointing to a county ethics board decision noting that his son was no longer working as a lobbyist for Formula 1. Lawsuits were later filed against Giménez, the county, the Dolphins, and Hard Rock Stadium (among others), in an at- tempt to stop the Miami Grand Prix. The plaintiffs, former county commissioner Betty Ferguson among them, alleged that the move to host the race in Miami Gardens, a predomi- nantly Black neighborhood, was an act of discrimination. The plaintiffs also accused Giménez of improperly accepting Super Bowl tickets from Ross in the midst of the controversy. “During the time that Mayor Giménez was publicly threat- ening to veto any action by the County Commission relating to F-1 racing in Miami Gardens, [he] accepted two Super Bowl tickets from Stephen Ross worth $8,000,” a group of Miami Gardens residents alleged in a federal lawsuit. (Giménez maintains he did nothing wrong and that he received clear- ance from ethics counsel to accept the tickets. He purportedly repaid Ross for one of the tickets.) A judge rejected the plaintiffs’ federal case in June 2021, and the Miami Grand Prix moved ahead into the track-con- struction phase. Still pending is a county court lawsuit, however, in which residents claim the engine noise generated by the Miami Grand Prix will violate local ordinances and pose a risk of hearing damage. A judge declined to issue a ruling before the May 8 race but is allowing the case to move forward so that the residents can challenge future races in court. Samuel Dubbin, an attorney in the county case, tells New Times that blame has been unfairly laid at his clients’ feet un- der the pretense that they moved into the area after the stadium was constructed and should have known about traffic gridlock and noise is- sues around the venue. Fulford-Miami official starter Barney Oldfield with driver Ralph Hepburn on February 22, 1926. “It’s offensive for the Dolphins or the city to argue that people who have lived there for generations could have known better,” Dubbin says, noting that many of his clients bought their homes before the stadium existed. “The county and the Dolphins shoved that stadium down residents’ throats and used the political and economic power they had to just pulverize the residents.” Throughout the dispute, the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium have maintained that Formula 1 racing will be a boon for the community, not a burden. Their camp estimates that the Miami Grand Prix will generate a $400 million eco- nomic impact, along with 4,000 jobs. Race organizers say early concerns over the Grand Prix’s impact in Miami Gardens have been addressed by building a sound wall, ensuring races don’t run during school hours, and eliminating track elements on public roads. FORMULA 1 DOWN THE ROAD The Miami Grand Prix comes at a critical moment for For- 8 8 mula 1 in the United States, as the brand’s popularity is rapidly growing stateside. ESPN’s average ratings for the 2021 F1 sea- son grew more than 50 percent year over year. Viewership is State Archives of Florida/Florida Memory MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 MAY 5-11, 2022 NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | NEWS | LETTERS | CONTENTS | MIAMI NEW TIMES | MUSIC | CAFE | FILM | ART | STAGE | NIGHT+DAY | METRO | RIPTIDE | LETTERS | CONTENTS |miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com miaminewtimes.com
