Brickell homeowners sue city of Miami over Ultra contract

A Brickell association representing 35,000 Brickellites is suing the city of Miami over what it alleges is an illegal lease to Ultra Music Festival.

Ultra is set to open March 29 on two sites, one outside of Miami Marine Stadium and the other a section of Virginia Key Park, just over the Rickenbacker Causeway from Brickell.

In November, the city commission approved a no-bid licensing agreement to allow Ultra to move from Bayfront Park to those sites, after rejecting a deal that would have let the three-day music festival stay at its longtime location in downtown Miami. Now, the Brickell Homeowners Association is claiming Ultra’s license is in violation of city law, according to the Miami Herald.

By agreeing to license the city-owned land, the city bypassed a lease, which would have required a public bid, the lawsuit alleges.

Attorney David Winker, who in separate lawsuits is suing the city over its handling of the Melreese property in reference to David Beckham’s Major League Soccer stadium, is representing the Brickell association in the suit.

“The city of Miami circumvented its own laws and disenfranchised its own citizens to force this deal through … a deal that is a disaster for the environment and our residents,” Winker said in a statement to the Herald. [Miami Herald] — Katherine Kallergis