Weeks before Miami Grand Prix, judge hears last-ditch case to block Formula One race
Baku, April 15, AZERTAC
Just weeks before Formula One racing is set to debut outside Hard Rock Stadium, nearby residents made a last-ditch effort in court to stop the Miami Grand Prix, saying the noise will be “intolerable”, according to Miami Herald.
The lawsuit from Miami Gardens residents, led by former Miami-Dade County Commissioner Betty Ferguson, seeks to block the May 6-8 event.
Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Alan Fine on Wednesday expressed “frustration” with having to consider the matter on such a tight timeline, but said he would make a ruling on whether to dismiss the case as soon as Monday.
The residents’ lawsuit says noise levels from the Formula One races will “cause severe disruption and physical harm to Miami Gardens residents,” citing an engineering firm’s estimate that the event will generate noise up to 97 decibels at homes within a 2.5-mile radius of the stadium — “similar to the sound levels produced by a chainsaw.”
But lawyers for both Hard Rock Stadium and the city of Miami Gardens said the judge shouldn’t take any steps that could prevent the Miami Grand Prix from moving forward before the city decides whether to issue a required special events permit.
It should be up to the city, not a court, they said, to decide if the event complies with the city’s noise ordinance. That law says noise should not “unreasonably disturb the peace and comfort of adjacent residences,” but doesn’t define what noise levels would meet that threshold.
