Clark County Commissioners Postpone Discussion Of Formula 1 Race Troubles During Tuesday Meeting After Las Vegas Grand Prix Disrupted Commerce, Caused Traffic Problems In Strip Corridor Last Year
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By Alan Snel, LVSportsBiz.com Publisher-Writer
The Formula 1 race has already announced its race for November in Las Vegas.
Clark County Commission Chairman Tick Segerblom says not so fast.
“They’ve already announced the next race and we haven’t even approved it,” Segerblom said recently on a news show.
The Las Vegas Grand Prix was a showy spectacle that made millions of dollars for Liberty Media-owner Formula 1 and high-end Las Vegas hotels, but it crushed small businesses in the Strip corridor that were difficult to reach because of the race course’s 3.8-mile layout limited access to the businesses.
One business owner who lost revenue told LVSportsBiz.com last month, “We as a community got bamboozled.”
Several businesses have asked the public LVCVA tourism agency, Clark County and Formula 1 to compensate them for their revenue losses caused by the Feb. 18.race.
With that in mind, the Clark County commissioners was scheduled to discuss the F1 race at their meeting tomorrow. It was on Tuesday’s meeting agenda. But then the county contacted LVSportsBiz.com Monday night to say the F1 item on the agenda was postponed.
From the county Monday night: “As an update to the agenda of tomorrow’s Board of County Commissioner meeting, the County Manager will, in the coming weeks, present an agenda item which will provide a regional debrief on the inaugural Formula 1 2023 race event. This review will include an assessment of the impacts to the region along with forward-looking recommendations informed by input from county departmental leadership, regional partner agencies, community stakeholders, and the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Additionally, these recommendations will align efforts to support F1 and other future large-scale events to the benefit of our community.”
In 2023, the seven-member Clark County Commission, the county’s governing board, granted the race promoter free access to 3.8 miles of roads and sidewalks for the 2023 race.
The county commissioners failed at representing the people of Clark County, as the race promoter’s impact on the Strip meant lost commerce and traffic jams from all the road closures. The county commissioners appeared clueless about anticipating the race’s impacts on the Strip and local businesses, helping high-end hotels and Liberty Media at the expense of locals.
The county commission said it the race can happen for ten years, including the first three and then seven years can be renewed. But Segerblom said the race still needs a special use permit to stage the 2024 race in November.
