Racing

Key West City Commission To Determine Fate Of 2020 Races On August 4

ByMatt Trulio July 15, 2020July 20, 2020

During a US1 radio interview in Key West, Fla., this morning, city manager Greg Veliz said he expected to have a decision on the fate of the November 8-15 Race World Offshore Key West Championships by day’s end. Joined by Key West city attorney Shawn Smith and assistant city manager Patti McLauchlin, Veliz met this afternoon with Race World Offshore’s Larry Bleil and Rodrick Cox.

Early next month, racers and fans will know if offshore powerboat racing will happen this year in Key West. Photo by Pete Boden/Shoot 2 Thrill Pix copyright Shoot 2 Thrill Pix/speedonthewater.com.

“We are going to talk to the boat racers today,” he said to veteran radio host Bill Becker. “Obviously, they hold out hope that there’s going to be a turnaround and that things are going to be able to happen. But boat races without fans is going to be very difficult to finance. I can’t image there’s a scenario in today’s climate where that would happen, and we are making decisions in today’s climate about things that are going to happen three or four months from now. It’s hard enough to make decisions on things three or four hours from now.”

But the final outcome still remains undetermined. A motion for the cancellation of all large events in Key West for the balance of 2020 will be on the Key West city commission agenda when it meets on August 4.

Bleil and Cox distributed their COVID-19 safety plans for the early November race week to all attendees of today’s meeting.

“We will readdress it in August,” Bleil said. “I think it will all come down to cases in the county.”

Key West City Commission To Determine Fate Of 2020 Races On August 4

Address

Quick Links