Celebrity plastic surgeon sues Miami Beach over crackdown on Art Week house parties
Three wealthy Miami Beach homeowners sued the city on Tuesday to try to prevent officials from shutting down lavish parties they planned to host during Art Week.
The lawsuit comes in response to a City Commission vote last week to require special event permits for large-scale events at homes on Palm, Hibiscus and Star islands from Dec. 2-8, with the threat of city officials shutting down the parties or even making arrests if people don’t comply.
The plaintiffs include Leonard Hochstein, a plastic surgeon who has appeared on “Real Housewives of Miami,” and Sinan Tuna, the CEO of skincare company Farmasi. The other is Daniel Vincent Liburdi, who bought a home on Hibiscus Island for $39 million this summer, a record for the island.
Between them, the three men say they have spent millions of dollars to plan the events.
“Plaintiffs have spent close to $4 million to stage their private parties and they will lose countless goodwill if the illegally imposed Resolution is not enjoined,” reads an emergency motion filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court.
A spokesperson for the city of Miami Beach did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Vice Mayor Alex Fernandez, who proposed the resolution, said in a statement that it was a “necessary and lawful step to protect residential neighborhoods from the excessive noise, traffic, and safety risks caused by large-scale, commercial-style parties.”
“The legal challenge filed by party organizers is an attempt to bypass reasonable review and permitting processes implemented to ensure safety and residents’ quality of life,” Fernandez said. “They know their commercial-grade events have a documented history of creating significant nuisances.”
READ MORE: Miami Beach threatens to shut down unpermitted mansion parties during Art Week
The City Commission last week said the special event permit requirement was targeted at “commercial” events. Homeowners on some of Miami Beach’s most exclusive islands have complained about late-night noise and traffic from parties in their residential neighborhoods.
Last December, Tuna threw an Art Week party at his $15 million Hibiscus Island property that was attended by celebrities like Leonardo DiCaprio and Travis Scott, capping off the night with fireworks and a drone light show.
He has spent or committed $1.7 million for this year’s affair, according to the lawsuit, which says the party is intended for Tuna’s birthday and that “only friends are invited.”
The attorney who filed the lawsuit, Richard Wolfe, told the Miami Herald his clients’ parties don’t meet the city’s definition of a commercial use because they don’t charge a fee for entry.
“How are these [events] different from the birthday party that I hold for 50 of my closest friends in my house?” Wolfe said. “It’s no different, only it’s bigger in scope.”
Hochstein has spent or committed $300,000 on his Star Island bash, the lawsuit says, but there is no cover charge and commercial vendors are paid for by sponsors to benefit Miami’s Institute of Contemporary Art.
The lawsuit also argues that the City Commission vote was insufficient to impose new permit requirements on such short notice. The matter was initially on the agenda as a discussion item, not a resolution, but the language of a resolution was distributed to commissioners on the dais.
The item should have been an ordinance, Wolfe said, which would have required public notice and approval at two separate meetings.
Wolfe said that his clients are trying to obtain the required special event permits but that the city’s intent to prevent the parties from happening at all seems clear.
To get a permit, owners will need to go through a review process with city officials and agree to let code officers inspect their property before and during the events. The homeowners association for Palm, Hibiscus and Star islands will also get an opportunity to review and comment on the plans.
If someone refuses to shut down a party at the demand of code officers, “the Miami Beach Police Department may arrest each owner, manager, director, or resident for resisting arrest without violence or any other applicable charge,” the resolution reads.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday says the parties should be allowed to go off as planned — and that any issues with noise or other violations can be handled through the city’s existing process.
“If my speakers are too loud, there’s a remedy for that,” Wolfe said. “It’s not a criminal violation for having speakers that are too loud.”
This story was originally published November 26, 2024 at 4:53 PM.
