Ultra Music Festival 2013: City of Miami to Vote on Resolution "Disapproving" of Second Festival Weekend

It can't be Ultra Music Festival without a little bit of drama. This time it comes from Miami Commissioner Marc Sarnoff who has introduced a new resolution "disapproving" of the second weekend of Ultra Music Festival.

The resolution, which the commission will consider on Thursday, claims the "event will be disruptive to the local business community and area residents due to noise, nuisance behavior of festival goers, and grid lock traffic."

That's a different tune than Ultra organizers claimed a few months ago, when they stated the festival generated a $79 million economic impact for the county.

UPDATE Commissioner Marc Sarnoff wants to kill Ultra Music Festival 2013's second weekend because "about 70 to 80 percent of these kids are on some sort of mind-altering drug."

UPDATE #2 Tommie Sunshine lashes out against City of Miami commissioner Marc Sarnoff's resolution "disapproving" of Ultra's second weekend, saying: "way to demonize the visitors of your city who make you money to cover your own asses."

UPDATE #3 Ultra 2013 organizers willing to work with city on downtown traffic, security concerns.

UPDATE #4 Trainspotting author and Miami resident Irvine Welsh defends Ultra: "I'm disappointed in Miami, the fest breathed life into a dead downtown."

UPDATE #5 Marc Sarnoff's spokesperson says commissioner doesn't want to "shut down" Ultra.

UPDATE #6 Miami mayor Tomas Regalado says: "One [Ultra Music Festival] weekend is enough ... people complain about the kids."

UPDATE #7 The resolution has been voted down. And City of Miami commissioners have approved Ultra Music Festival 2013's second weekend.

See also:

-Ultra Fest Generates $79 Million Annually for Miami Economy: Can EDM Save the Country?

-Ultra Music Festival 2013 Announces Phase 1 Lineup: Tiesto, Kaskade, Avicii, 25 Others

A source at the city attorney's office told Crossfade that the resolution came from unhappy downtown business owners who lobbied during a December meeting. The resolution also seems to confirm what we already knew: the festival will be returning to Bayfront Park this year. And while there is a separate trust for the park, the resolution affirms that the city code says that the trust's broad powers are "subject at all times to city commission approval."

It's unclear at this point whether the resolution would actually prevent the second weekend of Ultra from happening, and we are waiting back to hear from the city's attorney office to clarify the possible repercussions.

We contacted Ultra Music Festival's organizers and commissioner Marc Sarnoff for comment. We will update the post when they respond.
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