Dolphins Vice Chair, President & CEO Tom Garfinkel "hopes to clear the final hurdle" toward bringing an F1 race to Miami Gardens in May '21, as all that remains is receiving "approval from Miami-Dade County Commissioners," according to Hal Habib of the PALM BEACH POST. South Florida has never held an F1 race, and Garfinkel said, "Formula One is globally one of the most popular sports in the world and bringing a Formula One race would be one of the biggest events you can bring" (PALM BEACH POST, 10/16). F1 and Hard Rock Stadium yesterday announced a deal in principle to "host an annual Miami Grand Prix race." In Ft. Lauderdale, Safid Deen notes the Miami-Dade County Commission "could table the idea later this month during its next commission meeting set for Oct. 29." The agreement "could rectify" F1's "previous attempt to host a race in Downtown Miami, which would have been held in the Biscayne Bay and Bayfront Park areas." But the proposal was "met with strong opposition by local residents and businesses in the area because of the obligations needed to construct and upkeep a potential race track in the area." The Hard Rock Stadium campus "would house" the majority of the F1 race track, and be funded by Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross. Protesters opposing the race included former Miami-Dade Commissioner Betty T. Ferguson, who said that it "could affect surrounding residents and be 'environmentally devastating' to the community" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 10/16).
