For the first time, the Miami auto show is canceled. Blame it on Irma

For the first time in almost 50 years, the Miami International Auto Show was canceled this year due to Hurricane Irma.

The 47th annual auto show was scheduled to run from Sept. 9 through Sept. 17 at the Miami Beach Convention Center but the opening was postponed as the storm approached. There were hopes it would simply open later, but ultimately Miami Beach city officials canceled it.

The show’s organizers said Friday it will not be rescheduled.

“It’s important at this time that our community focus all of its energies on providing assistance to those impacted by this monster storm,” Cliff Ray, the auto show’s coordinator, said in a statement. He added that the effects of the hurricane made it impossible to consider rescheduling the event.

“We understand and fully support the decision to cancel, which was made by leaders in the city of Miami Beach.”

The South Florida Automobile Dealers Association, which comprises more than 190 dealerships in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Monroe counties, hosts the Miami International Auto Show, which launched in 1971.

This story was originally published September 15, 2017 at 9:01 PM with the headline "For the first time, the Miami auto show is canceled. Blame it on Irma."