Open Letter
An Assault on Downtown’s Sanity
Downtown Miami is now the residential enclave those who have lived here for many years always hoped that it would become, but Ultra assaults its quality of life. Open Letter by Jeffrey D. Feldman, Esq.
Dear Mayor Suarez:
I write to strongly recommend that the City of Miami resist the urge to return the Ultra Musical Festival to Bayfront Park. Frankly, I am no longer in Downtown Miami because of Ultra and other events like it that have turned Bayfront Park from a quiet zone into a carnival. Ultra is a particular problem for all the reasons you already know.
My old law firm, Feldman Gale, P.A., was on the 30th Floor of One Biscayne Tower. For years, we had to abandon our office in advance of Ultra because the noise and traffic were intolerable. When we returned to the office, the park was a disheveled mess. Despite the gesture of new sod, which was nothing more than a band-aid, the grounds always seemed to reflect the wear and tear of the event long after it was over.
Downtown Miami has changed. It is now the residential venue that those of us who have lived here for many years always hoped that it would become. Quality of life is essential and while Miami’s vibrancy is its signature, asking people who live Downtown to put up with the noise, congestion, and filth generated by Ultra is asking too much. People are entitled to their peace and quiet. The festival belongs in a venue where it can be enjoyed by its participants without disturbing the surrounding community.
People should not have to concede their sanity to accommodate a private, for-profit event under the false pretense that the sacrifice is warranted by a reputational gain for the city. Miami does not need Ultra to sustain its reputation as a vibrant, exciting community.
Please let Ultra move on and please allow Bayfront Park to be a clean, green, quiet respite from the grind of daily life. The park is our city’s oasis.
Sincerely,
