219-2001 LTC CITY OF MIAMI BEACH
Office of the City Manager
Letter to Commission No.j/g
To:
From:
Subject:
Mayor Neisen O. Kasdin and
Members of the City Commission
Jorge M. Gonzalez ~
City Manager
FULL MOON DRUM CIRCLE EVENT
Date: September 25, 2001
This L.T.C. is in response to an e-mail received by Commissioner Liebman that questioned why the City of
Miami Beach had taken steps to prohibit the Full Moon Drum Circle Event. The e-mail described the event as
an "inoffensive, harmless, and remarkable gathering of people that come together to play drums, dance,
converse, and just enjoy the beach under a full moon....". The City closed the drum circle event in March,
2001 because it was unsafe to permit the event to continue in its present format. A more detailed account of
this determination is outlined below.
In July 2000, the City of Miami Beach Police Department responded to citizen complaints of noise, bonfires,
illegal drug use and violations of beach curfew laws occurring during the full moon at the 21 st Street beach.
Nine arrests for marijuana were made. Police Officers were assigned to each subsequent event.
On February 6, 2001 the Parks and Recreation Department forwarded a request for assistance for this
gathering from the Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department. This gathering occurs on the
occasion of each full moon when a group called the 'moonies' celebrates the full moon. This 'celebration'
carried with it no formal organization as such and had grown to crowds of up to 2,000 celebrants, ready to
party and leaving behind an abundance of litter, beer cans, liquor bottles and assorted other discarded or
abandoned rubbish. Miami-Dade County Beaches personnel requested assistance from the City in controlling
or curtailing this event.
Our Police Department expressed concern that the event grew from a few hundred participants to a crowd of
over 3,000 participants on Saturday, March 9, 2001. Bonfires for this date were limited to palm fronds, but
police noted that at past events they burned beach chairs and other such items. On March 15, 2001, the
Police Chief requested a meeting to discuss the situation with cancerned parties and to advise the City
Manager. Commissioner Liebman met with the Assistant Police Chief and others in the Mayor's Conference
Room to discuss the event. At that meeting, the Special Events Coordinator advised that the event did not
have a promoter who could sponsor it, post the required insurance, control the bonfires, or provide any
security. The Assistant Police Chief expressed his concern about the lack of security, and for the illegal
activities engaged in by the event participants. The meeting terminated when it was agreed that the Full Moon
Drum Circle could not be conducted safely without the City assuming sponsorship of the event. The Police
Department was instructed to enforce the beach closure Ordinance, and ensure public safety.
If you need any additional information, please feel free to centact me.
~G:RB:DD:GT:FC:Icd
Richard Barreto, Police Chief
Donald De Lucca, Assistant Police Chief
Francis Conwell, Police Captain
F:~CMGR\$ALL\LTC-Ol~fulldrurncircle.doc