F1 Grand Prix to be held in Miami despite community protests

The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix will finally be allowed to take place next May despite a lawsuit for alleged noise pollution filed by neighbors of the Hard Rock Stadium, where the event will take place. Miami-Dade County Judge Alan Fine said he will not hold a hearing for an injunction to ban the race before the Grand Prix on May 6.

Some Miami Gardens residents said the noise from the F1 engines could damage their hearing. The plaintiffs submitted a study claiming that the competition will generate up to 97 decibels of noise in homes within a 4-kilometer radius of the Hard Rock Stadium.

“Miami es el lugar perfecto para la @F1. La pista se ve increíble y no puedo esperar a ver a todos los fanáticos ahí. Austin siempre se siente como una carrera en casa para mí y creo que Miami será similar”: @SChecoPerez 🔥🇲🇽

🎥 @redbullracing pic.twitter.com/opngVaDISk

— PrimeF1 (@PrimeF1_) April 19, 2022

However, Judge Fine ruled on Wednesday that the evidence presented by residents is "highly speculative" and that any potential harm could be offset by staying indoors or wearing earplugs. The May 6-8 event was at risk after a last-ditch attempt in March by a group of neighbors, who protested outside Miami Gardens City Hall, where the stadium is located.

The key to the current case is that the city has not yet announced whether it will consider the race a "special event," which would pave the way and allow more flexibility in enforcing the local noise ordinance. Residents claimed that the race violates the ordinance that prohibits unreasonable noise that disturbs, injures, or endangers the comfort of its residents.

However, the stadium’s lawyers said the ordinance provides exceptions for events that benefit the city and added that there is no evidence that the race will cause harm. The judge stressed that neither party offered evidence of actual noise levels during the race and ordered that the sound of the event be monitored.