Neighborhood / Bayfront Park
Alert!
The Downtown Neighbors Alliance (DNA) has issued the following alert: Bayfront Park Management Trust proposed reneging on a 2019 agreement governing event hours at Bayfront Park and Maurice Ferré Park.
The Bayfront Park Management Trust will be voting at their next board meeting, Tuesday February 14, to allow events in Bayfront and MAF Parks go until midnight (currently 10pm on weekdays, 11pm on weekends). And many members of the community are alarmed by this proposed violation of an existing agreement, especially those who have school-age children.
Downtown News reviewed the minutes of a previous Board meeting, where the Board members proposed that event organizers can actually buy an extra hour. One Board Member offered, as per the meeting’s minutes: “Give us something for the extra hour. Okay? And I think, everything ends at 11. You want an extra hour, great. We want something in exchange for that.”
Point of Contention
Currently, promoters’ requests for a late-night event must be discussed in a noticed public meeting, where the public can participate and provide comments, and the request must be approved by a special majority vote of the Park Board.
What is proposed for the future is that the Park Director be authorized to allow events until midnight. According to the DNA, the Park Director will have sole discretion over end-times and can make decisions behind closed doors, without a board vote, without public notice and without public input or discussion.
In 2019, the Downtown Neighbors Alliance negotiated with the Park Management and Board an agreement to put in place a set of event rules governing event end-times, noise limits and sound checks. A spokesperson for the Downtown Neighbors Alliance observed: “We are very concerned that the Park Board is considering reneging on the agreement and further damaging downtown residents’ quality of life.”
What Can the Downtown Community Do?
“The downtown community must make its voice heard at the Park Board meeting,” observed DNA Board Member Itai Benosh, “and I hope that the Park Board members will listen and make the right decision — to keep honoring the 2019 event rules.”
If you’d like to share your opinion with the Park Board please come to the meeting on Tuesday — public comments will be allowed. If you can’t attend the meeting, you can email the Park Board and the DNA at: jcarollo@miamigov.com; kschwartz2102@outlook.com; jsoliman@miamigov.com; frodriguez@miamigov.com; dna@miamidna.org
Sample Letter
I am owner and resident at Paramount MWC and I heard you are going to vote to allow the events in Bayfront park lasting until midnight. I, as many other downtown owners, would like to express my total opposition to this decision, which will cause a lot of inconvenience to the entire community. I trust that you will not allow this kind of change.
Reneging
Reneging on the existing agreement might set a dangerous precedent. For example, repealing the agreement Park West residents reached last year to close Maurice Ferré Park after 10 pm to curtail homeless encampments and criminality.
Read More Residents’ Comments
Letters of Protest: Stop Messing with our Quality of Life!
