If you had already purchased your UMF 2nd weekend ticket, I invite you to take a moment and breathe. After watching the livestream of today’s decisive City meeting, I feel safe to say that our beloved dance mecca in South Beach was never at risk. It was merely a give and take game. District 2 Commissioner Marc Sarnoff (detailed below) was the mover of the main Resolution which challenged the Bayfront Trusts’ decision to grant Ultra Music Festival the right to hold a second weekend. When push came to shove, even Sarnoff himself agreed to support this years 15th Anniversary festivities but drew his own stipulations for that support.
The Skinny: Two resolutions were tackled today. Both the aforementioned and a resolution involving how the Florida Department of Transportation would execute the traffic plan and timely closing of Biscayne Blvd.
City Commission’s concerns: As each commissioner delivered their overall support for UMF, a few valid concerns were brought to the table and asked to be addressed. 1.) Downtown Miami is considered a business district. The traffic and road closings which typically begin on the Thursday before as well as the noise pollution the Friday of became topics of concern. 2.) Drug use. Commissioner Sarnoff even went as far to suggest that a second weekend would lead festival goers into 10 day long binges on ecstasy and depressants. While the board made it clearly understood that drug abuse may be an inherent part of the culture behind live music in general, Commissioner Carollo stated it best:
Last time I checked, Ultra Music Festival does not condone drug use. I believe the matter is with our youth. That is why I would suggest UMF take a look at giving money back to the city for drug education and rehabilitation centers.
Carollo, an ex police officer, remained realistic and made certain that he highlighted the factors of cultural diversity that such a large scale international festival brings to the city including the good behind it. He, along with every other speaker, made mention of the emails from blogs, businesses and individuals even across international waters.
Our voice lingered in the board room today, as if each and every individual was standing in. We were heard. Our community is stronger than it has ever been right now.
UMF agreed to take some preventative actions: Ultra Representative Brian Mays dished out a few proactive initiatives to help better the experience for everyone.
- pay for additional officers at nearby Intercontinental and Miami Center hotels.
- working with the Bayside area to be part of event. Market Bayside as destination to eat and shop.
- agreed to indemnify city for cost-worthy claims. Including providing counsel for police officers who get sued etc.
I was going to blast Sarnoff a little bit until his passive aggressive nature during the meeting changed my mind. Although he made some heinous and extreme claims, his attitude towards the festival was not completely dismal. Like I said before, weekend 2 was never in jeopardy.
As our voices were heard today, we the fans also need to make a realization. The two weekend deal is on a trial basis and all hundreds of thousands of us expected to walk through the gates hold the key to this events future. Take care of yourself, your friends and anyone you might see struggling down in Miami at the end of March. Today we all stood as one and succeeded, let’s not let that go to waste.
About Commissioner Marc Sarnoff:
- Elected Commissioner of Miami-Dade District 2 November 21, 2006
- Graduated from University of Tampa in 1987 with a BA in Criminology
- His fundamental platform as a politician relies on a “Go Green” philosophy
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