Judge Refuses To Block Next Month's Formula 1 Race At Hard Rock Stadium
MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) — A judge has refused to block next month's Formula 1 race at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens.
City residents had requested that he stop the Miami Grand Prix from happening because they were concerned about the noise levels, saying it could damage their hearing.
The race is set to take place May 6-8 at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Alan Fine ruled Wednesday that evidence presented by the residents is "highly speculative" and any potential harm could be offset by staying indoors or wearing earplugs.
Fine said the lawsuit could continue after the event, potentially affecting other races, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald. The city has a 10-year deal with Hard Rock Stadium to hold the race annually.
The deal includes a $5 million community benefits package for the city, which has yet to issue a required special events permit. City officials said they intend to comply, but did not specify a time frame, the newspaper reported.
The residents claimed the race violates the city's noise ordinance, which bans unreasonable noise that disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort of its residents.
But attorneys for the stadium said the ordinance offers exceptions for events benefiting the city. They also said there is no evidence the race would cause harm.
The judge said neither side offered evidence of the actual noise levels during the race and ordered sound monitoring for the event.
Hard Rock Stadium attorney Melissa Pallet-Vasquez told the judge there is already an agreement with Miami Gardens to measure noise levels during stadium events.
Fine ruled that at least one of the measurements should be taken offsite "at a distance equivalent to the closest plaintiff's house," the Herald reported.
"By deferring until after the first race a preliminary injunction hearing for future races, we will have the ability, or the parties will have the ability, to know exactly what the noise levels are in fact," the judge said.
(© Copyright 2022 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)