With Ultra Music Festival’s fate in Miami currently up in the air, residents of Virginia Key called an emergency meeting last night to protest the festival’s proposed move to the island.
In a report last week, it was revealed that Ultra organizers were looking to move the 3-day music festival to Virginia Key, split between Miami Marine Stadium and Historic Virginia Key Beach Park as venues. According to Virginia Key residents, they were not made aware of a tentative vote on the matter until it was reported on in the Miami Herald last week.
“We only heard about it by seeing it in [the Miami Herald,]” said Key Biscayne Mayor Mayra Lindsay during last night’s meeting. “We didn’t even get the courtesy of being told directly.”
“I am ready to call out our neighbors, the city of Miami, as bad neighbors,” said Vice Mayor Franklin Caplan. “I am pretty well fed up with the way the city of Miami behaves.”
Virginia Key residents reportedly called the festival “abhorrent” and an “absolutely horrible disruptive event.”
A draft agreement between the city and Ultra obtained by the Miami Herald through a public records request shows more of the details proposed. A minimum of $1.4 million would be owed by Ultra to stage the festival on Virginia Key, though that figure could increase if ticket sales are strong.
More importantly, there is no end term to the agreement; it would last indefinitely, with a provision to review the contract terms in 2024. The city or Ultra would also have the option of revoking the contract voluntarily, given a year’s notice before the following festival.
Read the full agreement below.
Photo via aLIVE Coverage for Ultra