Palm Beach board orders Sailfish Club to pay fines for Ferrari event
While car fans were excitedly reading about Ferrari’s ultra-exclusive rally in the southern United States, Palm Beach was experiencing it for themselves. And now the Sailfish Club of Florida has been fined for hosting an unauthorized event that blocked traffic on the north end of the island.
The luxury tour, titled “America Calling – Calvacade 2024,” brought Ferrari owners from around the world together with the Italian automaker on a two-state tour that began in Tennessee on April 28. On May 1, participants boarded a plane to transport their cars to South Florida for the second leg of the tour, which ended on May 3.
After landing at Palm Beach International Airport, participants were reunited with their cars and made a lunch stop at the Sailfish Club, Ferrari’s website said. The ride was accompanied by the Florida Highway Patrol, site manager Julien Felix said during the June 20 Code Enforcement Board meeting.
Felix said the FHP closed side streets near the Sailfish Club, 1338 N Lake Way, and blocked traffic.
According to city ordinance, events that increase pedestrian or car traffic in public spaces must obtain a special permit from the city. This was not the case for the Sailfish Club.
Sailfish Club attorney Timothy Hanlon said the club did not apply for special permission for the event because it only learned of the FHP escort after the Ferraris arrived.
“This is an unfortunate situation. Obviously not what the Sailfish Club wanted to see in town,” he told the board. “We had no idea the Florida Highway Patrol would come and take over town without contacting our police department.”
Hanlon said the dilemma had prompted the club to amend its booking contract to ensure a similar situation did not occur again.
“The Sailfish Club is very proud of its reputation in the city and will do everything in its power to ensure that something like this does not happen again,” he said.
While the club is more than willing to accept the Code Enforcement Board’s ruling, Hanlon said, he considers the event organizers to be at fault.
After thanking Hanlon for his honesty, Vice Chairman Scotch Peloso voted with members Martin Klein, Chris Larmoyeux, Pamela Saba, John McGowan, Harris Fried and Alternate Armand Harris to impose an administrative fee of $150 and a fine of $250 on the club, to be paid within 30 days.
Harris voted in place of Chairman Bram Majtlis, who has announced he will step down in July.
Diego Diaz Lasa is a journalist at Palm Beach Daily NewsPart of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at [email protected].
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