Northeast Miami-Dade

County denies permit for Funkshion music fest featuring Swedish Mafia

 

Organizers a music festival had applied to Miami-Dade for a permit allowing the concert at the county-run park - to the chagrin of Bal Harbour officials, who passed recently passed he resolution indicating their displeasure with the plan and asking the co

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Special to the Herald

Miami-Dade County has pulled the plug on a music festival planned for Haulover Beach Park.

The Funkshion festival was set to feature house band Swedish House Mafia on March 21-24, during the Winter Music Conference. Last month, Bal Harbor voted to oppose permits for large-scale special events at the county-run park, citing traffic and noise disturbance.

Organizers of the festival had applied to Miami-Dade for a permit allowing the concert at the county-run park - to the chagrin of Bal Harbour officials, who passed recently passed he resolution indicating their displeasure with the plan and asking the county to deny the permit.

In a letter written to village staff last week, County Commissioner Sally Heyman said the county officials didn’t think the festival would fit well into the area.

“Last week, Miami-Dade Parks and Miami-Dade Police denied the application and event permit based on several logistical requirements that could not be resolved/satisfied to the level required by our County,” she wrote in a letter.

The planning of the concert started last fall and promoters said they planned to spend as much as two million dollars on the event, promoter Michael Satsky said. Tickets are not on sale yet.

Last year, the event was held in Miami Beach. However, organizers felt Haulover, which is immediately north of Bal Harbour, would allow more room for the event.

In order for the festival to take place, Miami-Dade County officials needed to sign off on the permit application, which asks for permission to hold an event that would draw an expected 25,000 people.

Promoters said they were aware of issues brought upon by the village and surrounding cities. They said they were willing to help alleviate any problems, and had developed a transportation plan that would have brought attendees by bus and water taxi instead of by car.

Satsky said the company was already eyeing other venues before the denial was issued, but maybe in the future would be interested in Haulover again.

“If not this time then the next time I am optimistic we will create a similar plan in Haulover that was designed to economically stimulate the park, Miami Dade [police department], hotels, hundreds of businesses that surround the area, and a number of charitable foundations,” he added.

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