MIAMI (WSVN) - Formula 1 racing at Hard Rock Stadium is set to continue as planned after commissioners failed to reach the minimum vote required to override the mayor’s veto on a resolution that put the plans on hold.
Commissioners voted 7 to 5 to override Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez’s veto on Tuesday. They needed eight votes minimum to successfully override the veto.
Gimenez vetoed a resolution that recently passed and would have essentially prevented the race from taking place in Miami Gardens.
Commissioner Barbara Jordan said she does not want to see the race at Hard Rock Stadium.
“I’m not trying to stop a race from coming to Miami-Dade County, but I know there are alternative locations,” Jordan said.
Jordan and Miami Gardens Mayor Oliver G. Gilbert III are concerned the event will bring harmful noise levels and negative health effects to the city, along with other problems.
“It’s come to a point now where we like to have these conversations as though we just need to be good for tourism,” Gilbert said. “Like, we don’t have to be good for the people who actually live here.”
Gimenez believes the event would bring money to the area and will directly impact some people who live near the stadium.
“If my veto had been overridden, then the event couldn’t happen in Miami Gardens, and F1 has said, ‘Well, if we can’t have it there, then we won’t have it in Miami-Dade County,'” Gimenez said.
Commissioner Esteban L. Bovo Jr. released a statement explaining his vote to support Gimenez’s veto.
“I want to continue the Formula One conversation, and the veto allows for the conversation to continue. After today’s vote, it is evident that Miami-Dade County needs additional time to understand the impacts of the race. We need to keep negotiations on the table and, ultimately, residents must have the final say. Additionally, while I strongly support F1 in Miami-Dade County, I will continue to vote against tax subsidies given to the Dolphins organization for signature events. I look forward to more community involvement in the process.”
Tom Garfinkel, the Vice Chairman and CEO of the Miami Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium, also released a statement on the Tuesday vote.
“Along with Formula 1, we are encouraged the County Commission sustained the Mayor’s veto. As we have done for all our events at Hard Rock Stadium, and as Formula 1 has done in every City that hosts a race, we will continue to work with the Mayor and the community to make Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix a huge success for all of Miami-Dade County; including the residents of Miami Gardens. We will work very hard to address community concerns in a meaningful way, mitigate any inconveniences or disruptions to local residents, and create an event we can all be proud of.”
In response to a question whether race organizers have the interest of Miami-Dade citizens in mind, Gimenez replied, “This is about negotiations. All right so people take, the people of Miami Gardens say no. The people of F1 says it’s gotta be only there, and so my job is to see if we can find accommodation.”
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