Miami Beach leaders say they will remove Ocean Drive promenade after judge orders reopening

A judge has ordered Miami Beach to reopen the two blocked blocks of Ocean Drive and return the street to its pre‑COVID two‑way configuration, and city staff said they will remove the promenade as soon as the Feb. 7 special meeting ends.

Mayor Minor, mayor of Miami Beach, opened the meeting saying the commission called the session to explain why Ocean Drive was closed, what led to the current legal dispute and what steps the city will take next. City Manager Eric Carpenter told the commission the city has received a January 7 letter from Miami‑Dade County and a subsequent court order directing removal of the pedestrian plaza and a return to two‑way traffic between Fifth Street and Fifteenth Street. Carpenter said staff will comply immediately unless another reprieve is granted by the courts.

The order and county letter came amid years of pilot programs and county approvals and rejections. Eric Carpenter said the commission initially directed a southbound one‑way configuration with a two‑way protected bicycle lane in late 2021 and that the city implemented a promenade pilot and a block‑party permit in 2022. The county later said the block‑party permit was conditional and in January told the city to remove the pedestrian plaza; a judge then ordered removal on public‑safety grounds during litigation between private hotel interests and the city.

Why it matters: The two‑block promenade on Ocean…