Commission approves Oceans of Soul beach festival after removing artist-approval clause

The Fort Lauderdale City Commission on Jan. 7 approved a contract for the Oceans of Soul Jazz & Funk Festival on Fort Lauderdale Beach after amending the agreement to remove a clause giving the police chief the power to approve performers.

The vote came after more than two hours of testimony from neighborhood leaders, residents and the event promoter about public safety, neighborhood impacts and equitable treatment of artists. The commission approved the contract as amended on a unanimous voice/roll-call vote.

Neighborhood leaders and the festival promoter said they had negotiated many details during multiple meetings. Bill Brown, president of the Central Beach Alliance, told the commission he and the neighborhood association had met repeatedly with promoter Gregory Scott and that they had agreed the first year should be treated as a one-year pilot so the city and residents could evaluate impacts. "We have met numerous times with Mr. Scott in the planning process ... they have agreed to that with the understanding that this is a one-year pilot," Brown said.

Promoter Gregory Scott described the event’s curation as focused on rhythm and blues, soul, jazz and funk and said he did not intend to book performers he considered inappropriate for the city. "Our curation is R and B, jazz, soul, and funk," Scott said, adding he would not intentionally book offensive acts.

Police Chief Bill Schulz described the department’s existing practice for large or new events: staff assess risk by checking an artist’s prior history and speaking with police in other cities where an act has performed. "When it comes to events, primarily when we talk about vetting, we look at events that have not been in the city before, and we contact cities where they have been," Schulz said. He added that the police typically investigate threats or other specific safety concerns rather than pre‑screen every artist.

Several commenters objected to language in the draft agreement they said amounted to a ban on a particular genre or group of performers. Attorney and longtime resident Barbara Stern described such a clause as a ‘‘slippery slope’’ that risked discriminatory outcomes. "If we're going to do this, I hope that there are some parameters put in place ... the chief of police is going to have the say as to who is approved and who is not approved. What are those parameters going to be?" Stern asked.

Commissioners debated whether the clause — which in draft required the promoter to provide full legal and stage names of all talent at least 120 days before the event so the police chief could "review and approve" them — was consistent with past agreements. Several commissioners said they favored a standard practice for all large events and did not want ad hoc or unequal treatment between promoters. Mayor Trantales and others said the clause, as written, was not in other agreements and should be either applied consistently across events or removed. The commission ultimately directed staff to strike the artist-approval provision from the Oceans of Soul agreement and noted they would consider whether similar language should be included uniformly in future contracts.

Commissioners also discussed timing and dates. The promoter and neighborhood representatives said they preferred December because of heat and hurricane-season concerns; the city indicated scheduling details could be refined after the contract was approved.

The commission’s action approved the organizer’s use of city beach property under the amended agreement. Commissioners said the city will continue negotiating event logistics — including security, traffic management and final scheduling — through the city’s events committee and includes neighborhood outreach as part of the process.

The commission’s roll call on the amended Oceans of Soul contract was: Vice Mayor Glassman — yes; Commissioner Beasley Pittman — yes; Commissioner Sorensen — yes; Commissioner Herbst — yes; Mayor Trantales — yes.

The commission also asked staff to review whether similar notice-and-review terms should be standardized for all large beach events and to return with recommendations.