In 2021, as Miami Gardens cleared a path for Formula One racing around Hard Rock Stadium, officials touted a $5 million Community Benefits Package to sweeten the deal that drew resident pushback. The package promised local STEM programming, paid internships, scholarships, partnerships with neighborhood businesses, and other investments meant to offset traffic, noise and disruption.
F1 organizers projected that the race would deliver 4,000 jobs, 35,000 hotel bookings, and a $400 million annual economic impact.
Four race weekends later — and with the Miami Grand Prix contract now extended through 2041 — The Miami Times reviewed city records to assess how the community benefit funds have been spent and whether residents are satisfied.
The Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix happens in May of each year, driving thousands of attendees and generating millions of dollars. (f1miamigp.com)
Karen Hunter-Jackson, a longtime resident of Miami Gardens and community advocate who fought against F1’s presence in the city, said the package fell short from the start.
“That five million and over 10 years was minuscule,” she told The Miami Times. “[The promises] made it a little hopeful that something could be done, and we were hoping that it would be tangible and that this city would take a strategic approach to utilize that money.”
Resident Mamon Tisdol, who has lived in Miami Gardens since 1999, also protested the contract with F1.
“We voted against it, but money is power,” he said. “Money is gonna always overrule your residents.”
The Miami Times made multiple requests for interviews with the Miami Gardens mayor and long-time council members but did not receive a response before publication. Mayor Rodney Harris’ office noted his unavailability the week of Aug. 19, then failed to respond to six subsequent requests noting an extended deadline.
Here’s what the city records show.
Education and youth
STEM programming was one of the key promises of the Community Benefits Package. Between 2022 and 2024, the city spent approximately $240,000 on STEM, amounting to nearly 30% of all F1 funds spent within that time period. However, as of July 2025, no such allocations had been recorded for the current fiscal year.
According to a July “Formula 1 Post-Event Recap” prepared by the city manager,the 2025 MIA Academy, an 18-week paid sports industry internship program, drew 21 college and graduate students. The F1 in Schools STEM program, meanwhile, reached 130 students, who also participated in a behind-the-scenes community night at the Miami International Autodrome.
In 2023, $45,000 in scholarships were awarded in $1,000 increments through an Emerging Leader program, accounting for just under 19% of F1 funds spent that year.
Council members have also directed some benefits dollars toward education. According to city records, Seat 5’s Linda Julien has consistently invested in the city’s annual Off to College Essentials giveaway and essay contests, allocating roughly $40,000, or nearly 59% of her spending, between 2023 and 2025. Seat 2 Councilman Reggie Leon allocated more than $25,000 in FY 2023-24 — approximately 60% of his expenditures — for scholarships, school supplies and youth programs.
In a written statement, Seat 6’s Robert Stephens told The Miami Times he used the funds to help “secure scholarships through our City University Partnership with Miami Dade College, Florida Memorial University, and St. Thomas University, creating pipelines for our residents to pursue and complete higher education without the barrier of financial hardship.” However, though Stephens is credited with spearheading the partnership, public records do not explicitly identify any such expenditures as related to the F1 benefits package.
Other council members recorded only small amounts in education spending by the end of FY 2023-24, including $1,000 in school donations from Seat 4’s Katrina Wilson and none from Seats 1 or 3, at the time held by Shannon Campbell and Shannan Ighodaro, respectively. In FY 2024–25, about $3,000 was allocated across various seats for school-related items.
The Workforce Readiness, Advancement, and Placement (WRAP) Around Us Program, designed for youth ages 16–25, received $130,000 in FY 2023–24 but shows no allocations in the current fiscal year.
Council members have also donated over $50,000 to community-based organizations and neighborhood programs since 2022, as well as $6,750 to Black Greek Letter Organizations.
Beautification
In 2023, the city spent about $65,000 of the funds on the Arbor Day Beautification program and landscaping. The following year, $41,000 went toward beautification, including $18,000 for the Senior Home Beautification program.
Resident Lavern Deer praised the Arbor Day effort, as it helped address concerns raised by seniors.
“If that went directly to the Arbor Day, then that was something that was very resourceful, because that was utilized to help the seniors,” she said, adding that the effort should be made consistent year-round rather than occurring as a one-time event.
For the current fiscal year, records show that only $810 of the $48,000 committed to beautification had been spent by July.
Businesses and traffic
According to the Post-Event Recap, 15 local restaurants participated as vendors in the 2025 race, but only four of those were owned by Miami Gardens residents.
The Miami Times interviewed local restaurants around the stadium to understand how the Formula 1 event has impacted them.
Lorna’s Caribbean & American Grill, located less than a mile from the stadium, noted that while events like Miami Dolphins games boost sales and attract visitors to the restaurant, the Formula 1 Grand Prix does not have the same effect.
“We don’t really notice a real impact because the business isn’t recognized by Formula 1, and there is no advertisement for Lorna’s Caribbean & American Grill. We haven’t received any contracts or any catering,” said owner Matari Bodie. He said he hopes Formula 1 encourages its attendants to visit local restaurants around the stadium.
Tisdol also noted how the roads become more congested during the Grand Prix.
“The traffic is terrible over there,” he said. “They are parking in your yard. You can’t call the police because they park on the east side. People tell me all the time, ‘Can I park?’ Yeah, I don’t care, because I don’t own that. I own from the sidewalk back this way. Just don’t block my driveway.”
Tisdol says some neighbors wait up to two hours just to reach their homes.
The Post-Event Recap noted that air quality remained within federal standards during race weekend, while noise level spikes were temporary and mitigated by barriers and scheduling restrictions.
Parties over pipelines
Event spending has soared since 2023. Upwards of $50,000 was spent on festivals, holiday drives, programming for the Orange Blossom Classic, and pre-F1 events during FY 2023-24, with Vice Mayor Stephens leading at $32,000. By July, event spending for FY 2024-25 had exceeded $100,000, or 42% of expenditures, with Seat 1 Councilwoman Katrina Baskin leading at around $48,000 for events like the “Pink Parade” and “Broadway in the Gardens.” Another line item indicates a $45,000 expenditure for “Meals with Oliver Gilbert.”
Residents argue the spending is misplaced. They say that while parties and galas may bring people together, they don’t replace structured programs with measurable outcomes.
“One of the things that I hear people complain about all the time is that Miami Gardens always throws a good party,” said Deer. “But when I saw it on paper, to see how much of those fundings went into partying and really less went into what was more promised, like helping small businesses, I wasn’t happy with that.”
Another resident, Dr. James Davis said the package expenditure is “quite alarming.”
“If [the current administration] remains in office, event planners wouldn’t have to worry about their next contract,” he said. “There is a lot of wasteful government that is going on.”
In Hunter-Jackson’s view, Miami Gardens prioritizes parties over more significant initiatives, like homebuyer assistance programs and community redevelopment grants.
“If you’re spending $40,000 for an event, how many scholarships could that have been? How many internships could that have been?” she said. “Are we doing something tangible and long-lasting and impactful — or just doing things to show that we’re doing something?”
Oversight and transparency
Across the board, residents stressed the need for oversight, accountability and process, including seat-level caps on events, quarterly reports tying dollars to outcomes, itemized receipts, post-event assessments, and an oversight committee.
“The purpose of that package was to enhance the community in several ways, so there needs to be oversight on it,” Deer said. “Maybe because there is no oversight, that's why funds are freely utilized the way that it is.”
Hunter-Jackson agreed.
“With something this controversial, you would think they would not want to open the door for any suspicion and say, 'We know you didn’t trust us with the Formula 1 deal, so to put your concerns to rest, we’re going to constantly be accountable,’” Hunter-Jackson said. “That hasn’t happened.”
Some were also alarmed by the 10-year extension of the Miami Grand Prix’s contract, announced in May 2025 without a corresponding expansion of the community benefits package. Residents say they learned about it through the media, not council meetings.
“We were not included in the conversation, and that is another concerning thing,” said Davis.
Deer echoed Davis’ concerns, insisting that the right thing to do would have been to bring the item to the city council, making it a permanent record.
“This is a multi-billion dollar industry. Residents need to know what is happening because it's in our city. We are the ones who have been inconvenienced,” Deer said.
Public records show only about $1.07 million of the $5 million benefits package had been spent as of July 2025.
F1 did not respond to requests for comment.
