MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – The Miami Gardens city commission hit the brakes on the idea of the city hosting Formula One Racing at Hard Rock Stadium.
The commission unanimously passed a resolution Wednesday officially objecting to the race.
"We need peace of mind, not pieces of your money," said Miami Gardens Commissioner Erhabor Ighodaro. "No peace, no justice."
The nonbinding vote is strictly symbolic, but it gives Miami-Dade County Commissioner Barbara Jordan some added ammunition when the county takes up her two measures that could potentially stop the race dead in its tracks.
"I’m sure one of the questions is going to be, 'Well, how does the city of Miami Gardens feel about it?'" she said. "So they passed a resolution tonight that says how they feel. They don’t want it."
Formula One already inked a deal with Hard Rock Stadium for a race to be held in May 2021, but there are still some residents fighting it.
One by one, they made their voices heard.
They're worried about the potential noise pollution the race could bring, as well as the traffic congestion they’d have to suffer through.
On the other hand, advocates say the race would mean millions of dollars for the local economy and bring jobs.
The stadium says it wants to work with residents to find a compromise.
"Ultimately, we look forward to collaborating, cooperating and working with the community since the stadium was built in the mid 1980s," said Marcus Bach, director of government and legal affairs for Hard Rock Stadium.
But residents say no way.
"Traffic is already bad. If you’ve already been at a (University of Miami) football game, let alone a Dolphin game, it’s horrible, horrible," said community activist Betty Ferguson. "How can they ask us to take more? Why don’t they take it somewhere else?"