Plans for a Grand Prix to take place around the streets of Miami moved a step closer after commissioners in the city voted unanimously to approve the idea.
It was expected for the vote to be a formality, but after a public hearing that heard views from the public, both for and against the idea, the five commissioners voted to approve the race, which is being sponsored by Miami mayor Francis Suarez.
“F1 is a worldwide sport with approximately 1.8 billion TV viewers annually,” the mayor said during Thursday’s hearing. “I believe it will help in the transition of the City of Miami from a gateway city to a global city.
“It has a potential economic boost of over $2.8 billion, [a figure recorded] between the years of 2012 and 2015 in downtown Austin, which is the only other city in the United States that has an F1 race. We would be probably the only city in the world that has F1 and all five major [U.S.] sports.
“This is a first step, and hopefully at some point there will be an agreement come before this commission that has been vetted by the community and be voted on.”
One of the worries that they went into the meeting with was whether or not the Port of Miami would support the bid, particularly as access to it would be limited whilst the Grand Prix is underway, but those concerns are now over after the Port declared their support for the event.
The passing of the resolution means city manager Emilio Gonzalez can now take the next step in getting Formula 1 to the city, with negotiations set to begin with Formula 1 officials in due course.
