Miami Residents File Last-Ditch Lawsuit Against City Over Ultra Festival Deal

The lawsuit is based on a perceived semantic technicality, arguing that the City's agreement to "license" the land reads more like a lease agreement. It states that, according to Florida law, leases are subject to competitive bidding and more rigorous public approval, while licensing deals circumvent such debate.

The lawsuit argues that the city “approves a theme to avoid the important public protections of competitive bidding by calling the agreement with ULTRA a license, rather than a lease, when in fact the terms of the arrangement clearly constitute a lease under Florida law." The complaint therefor asks a local judge to void the current licensing agreement between the City and Ultra.

At the time of Ultra's approval, the festival promised to employ environmentally protective measures, including restricting beach access to attendees and eliminating single-use plastics from the premises. It plans to relieve heavy traffic concerns by eliminating parking on the island, restricting attendees access via free shuttles or rideshare options like taxis, Lyft or Uber.

Ultra is scheduled to make its Virginia Key debut Friday to Sunday, March 29 to 31. Billboard Dance reached out to Ultra's team for comment.