Miami Grand Prix Update: More "Local Opposition" | FerrariChat

Miami Grand Prix Update: More "Local Opposition"

Discussion in 'Florida' started by BartonWorkman, Sep 19, 2019.

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  1. BartonWorkman

    BartonWorkman F1 Veteran
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    Let’s be real here, the “local opposition” is from Homestead/Miami Speedway and ISC
    whom are using the exact same scare tactics they used with downtown residents, this
    whole thing about a Grand Prix produces as much noise as a jet aircraft taking off and
    will render everyone within ear shot deaf.

    Homestead/ISC has $20M to $30M to spend to lobby against the existence of Formula
    One in Miami. They have a vested interest in seeing this not happen.
    That said, do we really want our Grand Prix to take place in the parking lot of Hard Rock
    Stadium out in Miami Gardens? Can’t see Liberty signing off on it especially after they take
    a tour of the neighborhood.

    https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/miami-stadium-race-opposition/4543619/
     
  2. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    why would Homestead oppose with $20-30mm off their bottom line? one competing race for once a year is going to take that much business away from them? they actually might be able to make money off the weekend with all the companies and people attending the event booking satellite events.
     
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  3. BartonWorkman

    BartonWorkman F1 Veteran
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    Yeah, but the ISC/NASCAR doesn't see it that way Rob.

    Did we learn nothing from the 2002-03 Miami Grand Prix of Americas where ISC/NASCAR
    was filing lawsuits to shut the event down right up until the minute of the first practice session?

    ISC/NASCAR sees a dollar spent on any other form of racing than NASCAR as a dollar out of their
    pockets that they'll stop at NOTHING to recoup.

    They also see themselves as the pre-eminent track in SoFla and anyone who dares encroach
    upon their territory is the enemy that they'll likewise stop at NOTHING to vanquish. Just ask
    anyone who's put for the notion of building a country club track within a 100 mile radius of
    Homestead, Daytona or Sebring.

    Imagine all those poor deaf people walking around Monaco!

    BHW
     
  4. HotShoe

    HotShoe F1 Veteran
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    Lol, ****ing Miami.

    These corrupt idiots wouldn't know a good thing for the city if it bit them on the ass. Are they that stupid that they can't do a little research into the type of crowd an F1 race would draw? It would be a financial boon for the surrounding areas. Imagine the spending that would go on in the Design District, Brickell and Bal Harbour? The hotel revenue, boat slips, rental, etc. But nooooo! I'm sure Urban Week is a much better, profitable crowd. :)

    If officials did their jobs and some due diligence it would happen no matter how much ISC and Nascar spent. Really makes you wonder what goes on behind the scenes and who is getting the payola.

    "Permanent hearing damage", can you imagine what they'd say if they still had v10's?

    Tragic because it really would be our own Monaco and no doubt an incredible event.
     
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  5. rob lay

    rob lay Administrator
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    southern Florida and your damn car politics tracks, dealers, clubs, and even events! I can't believe it especially considering the market is so large.
     
  6. HotShoe

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    Crazy isn't it?

    Wasn't always this way but now more than ever it's just a social media ego trip cluster **** with velvet ropes and champagne. :)
     
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  7. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    people are opposing the race on the Hard Rock stadium grounds?

    the same place that routinely hosts college and NFL football games, concerts, and a major karting race?

    the same place that sits near the intersection of south Florida's two main highways?

    the same place that sits just a few miles from Opa Locka airport, one of the busiest executive airports in the world?

    yeah, I'm sure those pesky F1 cars for a few hours over 3 days will cause your permanent hearing loss :rolleyes:
     
  8. BartonWorkman

    BartonWorkman F1 Veteran
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    Yeah, well (pulling collar) it's never easy to get anything done in Miami much less pull off an
    event of this magnitude without greasing the right palms.

    As we see with the Dolphins, anything this Ross touches immediately turns to **** and he thinks
    he's got the pull to bring every event to Hard Rock Stadium which of course is very wrong headed,
    like everything good these days, greed will be the ruin of it all.

    BHW
     
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  9. Dean Palmer

    Dean Palmer Formula Junior

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    We love our grand prix here in downtown St Pete, and it's a shame the locals in Miami can't get their heads around having one there like they did in the past when they created a dedicated track downtown. You can still see remnants of that track on satellite. The stadium, and the Homestead track are no better than the large beer and liquor companies that use every underhanded tactic to suppress any effort that is not theirs.
     
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  10. BartonWorkman

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    Hi Dean!

    The difference is the City of St. Petersburg is solidly 100% behind the St. Petersburg Grand Prix. And,
    even though they've gone through a line-up of promoters in it's latest configuration, the City remains
    steadfastly with the event.

    Here in Miami, while the mayor's office was behind the notion, the City Council was very much divided
    as a couple of members were openly hostile to the Grand Prix, pointing toward such things as non-existent
    parks which cannot be encroached upon.

    The land use issues in downtown Miami are what really threw the whole notion off the rails. The second
    configuration they came up with effectively cut off the Bayside Mall for example. As a friend who is a
    huge Grand Prix supporter (and was with Ralph Sanchez's group that made the first downtown Miami
    Grand Prix in the early 80s') he also owns a business in Bayside and says that his employees would have
    to go through at least three check points just to get into the facility.

    When the ISC has $20M to $30M to spend on lobbying against any sort of event of this sort from happening,
    it makes an impact. They set up the lobbying group "Better Florida Alliance", a faceless, nameless bunch
    of wankers based in Tallahassee with right-wing ties to the governor's office and their sole intention is to
    see to it that F-1 does not appear in SoFla at any venue.

    It's a pity.

    BHW
     
  11. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    do you have any evidence that ISC is supporting BFA, particularly to the tune of $30mm?
     
  12. BartonWorkman

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    Looking up Better Florida Alliance, a faceless, nameless lobbying group with a Tallahassee
    address (and that's about all that is available about them), it's next to impossible to penetrate
    who they are although some names did surface but all contacts to led to dead ends.

    Who else would be constantly standing in opposition to having an F-1 race in Miami?

    Given Homestead/ISC's history of meddling in other such events like the 2002-03 Miami Grand Prix
    of the Americas which they fought right down to the moment of the first practice session, I'd
    be all ears to hear whomever else would be trying to derail this.

    From the beginning, this Better Florida Alliance has used the same scare tactics to instill fear
    in residents, the course would meander all over Miami cutting right through neighborhoods,
    spectators camping out in people's front yards, noise levels similar to that of jet air craft
    taking off which will render everyone deaf, dogs and cats living together, all this blithering
    nonsense.

    In fact, the BFA opposition took the form of a petition which I had spotted on the Miami Herald's
    website before the notion of a downtown Miami Grand Prix had even been officially announced.

    I then reached out to my friend whom had served as a right hand to Ralph Sanchez going back
    to the original downtown Miami Grand Prix right up through the sale of Homestead Miami International
    Raceway to the ISC, served as Miami-Dade Sports Commissioner and works closely with the mayor's
    office. He told me then that, naturally, Homestead/ISC was in a twist about the prospect of F-1
    happening in Miami and had a war chest to fight of $20M to $30M to fight it.

    If the event can't/won't take place at Homestead, the ISC will stop at NOTHING to thwart the event
    from happening at all.

    BHW
     
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  13. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    $30mm is 10% of ISCA's annual profits. I doubt they're going to spend that to block one race in one market. particularly when that market hasn't been particularly good for them in the first place.
     
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  14. BartonWorkman

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    #14 BartonWorkman, Sep 22, 2019
    Last edited: Sep 22, 2019
    That hardly matters.

    They think that because they hold Homestead-Miami International Speedway, that all other
    forms of motorsports be held there or not at all.

    They're the ones who started the fight even before Miami and Liberty formally launched a
    F-1 Miami Grand Prix exploratory committee.

    I bet if you asked the guys who run Concours Club or Driver's Club Miami if they're receiving
    a lot of static from Homestead/ISC. Guarantee you, they've had to sink a major portion of
    their construction budgets into fighting all of the injunctions Homestead/ISC have brought
    forth to slow them down.

    Don't believe me? Ask Brian Gaines about the static he caught when he attempted to start
    Lightning Ridge Motorsports Park out in the middle of no where between Ocala and Daytona.

    Have a look at the Better Florida Alliance's website and see all of the major issues they're
    involved with and have petitions set up for. Oh, there seems to be only one issue.

    https://www.betterfloridaalliance.org/petitions

    BHW
     
  15. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    well it does matter, because $30mm to lobby to block one race is absurd. I know NASCAR is privatizing ISCA, at which point they can waste money as they see fit, but spending 10% of your annual profits like that would certainly get some shareholders upset. not to mention that said spending doesn't clearly show up in their financials with the SEC.
     
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  16. GatorFL

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    I'll agree with Chaz, $20-30M to fight the race from Homestead doesn't sound believable. Your own post proves it is mere speculation. Where has the money been spent? On an online entity anybody could have scared up for a couple hundred bucks? Certainly nowhere near even $1 million has been spent fighting the race. If Dade doesn't want it hold it somewhere else.
     
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  17. BartonWorkman

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    I'm merely reporting what is being told to me by a fairly unimpeachable source which happens
    to have ties to the origins of the Miami Grand Prix as well as Bayside.

    We know they're not spending that kind of dough to stop the race given that all their lobbying
    group has come up with so far is a Facebook petition page that was signed by like 8 people
    and advertising in the Miami Herald.

    But, they are attorneys after all so perhaps they're pocketing a huge retainer.

    BHW
     
  18. GatorFL

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    $20-30 million seems like an excessive retainer. In other words, don't believe everything that you hear. Cause it's probably embellished. I'm guessing ISC threw $2,000-3,000 at this and your "source" added a bunch of zeroes to the end.

    Why am I telling you this? You come here posting your "woe is me we can't get a race in Miami because ISC/$20-30Million" and it all sounds like BS, the entire story.
     
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  19. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    if $30mm is the retainer fee lobbyists in Tallahassee get for minor issues, I'm enrolling in FSU law school.
     
  20. BartonWorkman

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    #20 BartonWorkman, Sep 26, 2019
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2019
    You guys don't think that the ISC has a war chest to fight F-1 from having an event take place
    in one of their backyards?

    Think again.

    Try this. Make an announcement of a mere feasibility study about opening a private club type
    track within a 150-200 mile radius of Daytona, Sebring or Homestead (or any of their other facilities)
    and see how fast an injunction arrives at your door from their team of attorneys.

    BHW
     
  21. GatorFL

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    Those guys in Opa Locka are pretty close to opening The Concours Club. What kind of letters did they get from ISC?
     
  22. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    I was wondering what the status of that place was. good to hear it's moving forward
     
  23. BartonWorkman

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    Well, when we have the first Miami Concours track event there in February, will be sure
    to ask them. You may be certain, they had a huge fight on their hands.

    The Concours Club is nearly completed. The track is finished and being used for video
    and photo shoots, etc. Evidently, the finishing touches are being put on the buildings so
    they're likely down to detail work now.

    BHW
     
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  24. GuyIncognito

    GuyIncognito Nine Time F1 World Champ
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    I recall they had a big fight with the NIMBY crowd about noise (despite it being literally adjacent to an airport), and/or some nonsnse about the property needing to become a park or some other community resource.

    I don't recall anything about ISC attempting to block them.
     
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  25. HotShoe

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    Can't wait to see it. My friend and I spoke with them at Cavallino and were very intrigued but we decide to take a "wait and see" approach since it's south Florida. I've been hearing of plans for this type of project since I was at Shelton in the late 90's yet no one has managed to pull it off.

    Only negative IMO is the location is a nightmare to get to for anyone north. I got a good laugh when the sales girl told us it was a 20 minute drive from most places. :)

    Very ambitious project in this day and age where track interest is at an all time low and liability is ridiculously high. I hope they succeed.
     
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