In the fight to keep Formula 1 racing from her community, Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan is coming back to the commission Wednesday with new and improved legislation to slow down and maybe stop the races from being approved at the HardRock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
And now she has the additional support of the Miami-Dade Democratic Party and a poll that says a majority of Miami-Dade residents are against bringing the races to the stadium — and giving billionaire Stephen Ross another $2.5 million for it.
Her ordinance would remove auto races from the permitted auto uses in the stadium zoning district providing for a special exception process and criteria that would force Ross, who owns both the stadium and the Miami Dolphins, to get approval from the city of Miami Gardens first, before they can rev their engines.
And that is not likely. Residents and city leaders in Miami Gardens have expressed major concern about the traffic the races would bring for three days as well as the noise pollution it would bring to their community.
Read related: Carlos Gimenez went to the Super Bowl in play for pay on Formula 1
At the Feb. 10 meeting of the Democratic Executive Committee in Coconut Grove, Jordan spoke about her efforts to stop the push to bring Formula One racing to her district.
“The Commissioner pointed out that the Miami Gardens community is overwhelmingly opposed to bringing the noise, traffic and air pollution associated with the race into their community, and she views it as her job to represent their point of view to her colleagues on the dais,” the Dems emailed newsletter says. “Notorious Trump backer, and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is pushing to bring the race to Miami Gardens over the strenuous objections of local homeowners and elected officials.”
It is true that the community has been in arms about the races since the proposal was made last year. Noise pollution, air pollution and traffic are some of the concerns they have. Even though organizers have taken NW 199th Street off the first proposed track, residents remain concerned about the event. Many picketed Super Bowl LIV and were subjected to intimidation by Miami-Dade Police sent by Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who has championed the event.
Read related: Quid pro quo Carlos Gimenez gets Super Bowl tickets as a reward
As an aside to Commission on Ethics and Public Trust Executive Director Joe Arrojo: Your people told Grimenez that there was nothing wrong with receiving Super Bowl tickets worth over $10,000 because, basically, the deal with Ross was already done years ago to provide the stadium owner up to $5 million a year in subsidies for the events they bring.
But they may have overlooked that Ross still has to gain $2.5 million from the races — that’s $2.5 million every year — if he can secure the Formula 1 races, and that Gimenez is his biggest ally on that. Still think it wasn’t quid pro quo?
In fact, Gimenez is the one who has slowed down Jordan’s efforts, asking to negotiate a better agreement with Ross, which hasn’t assuaged anyone’s fears.
The DEC unanimously passed a resolution in support of Jordan’s efforts to stop Formula One racing in Miami Gardens, and the Commissioner encouraged all members to call their own county commissioners and ask them to support her items Wednesday.
Jordan is also coming armed with a poll that says most of the people in Miami-Dade don’t want the race in Miami Gardens — especially since it is going to cost us $2.5 million a year.
The Public Policy Polling survey, done Feb. 14 to 16, found that 66% of Miami-Dade voters don’t want to give Ross more millions every year. Only 20% of the 559 people surveyed supported the proposal. And the pattern holds among most demographics: Democrats oppose it by 76% and independents or NPA support it by 72%. A majority of Republicans like giving money away to private entities, apparently, because only 43% of them were against giving public dollars.
Hopefully those numbers and that support will help the other commissioners — who voted 7-6 to pass it on first reading in October — will be even more convinced to continue to support Jordan.