Miami Beach officials pass new party rules ahead of Art Basel

Miami officials are cracking down on the glittering over-the-top bashes at private properties on the city’s most prestigious islands that have defined the Art Basel party scene.

Officials are passing new rules that threaten to arrest home owners and shut down events that have been planned for months, including a starry annual party by the trendy publication Nylon.

The new resolution passed by the Mayor of Miami Beach and the City Commission requires large parties on elite Palm, Hibiscus and Star Islands to have permits and adhere to special requirements — or face arrest.

The islands have been known for residents including Gloria Estafan, Shakira, and Shaquille O’Neal — as well as disgraced music mogul Sean “Diddy” Combs.

These aren’t your average house parties, but those defined as having, “institutional grade event equipment,” “commercial grade speakers, large commercial grade party and dancefloor lighting,” and “commercial grade firework displays,” according to the resolution.

One event that could be hit by the crackdown is Nylon’s bash, which is scheduled to go down again at plastic surgeon Lenny Hochstein’s Star Island manse, with a performance by Ludacris. 

But Nylon owner Bryan Goldberg tells us the party will go on. “There is no chance the event is not happening,” he says.  

“The long story short is that they want these to be permitted, which is fine,” he said, but pointed out the plan was unveiled on short notice. (The resolution was passed on Nov. 20.)

“Everyone is complying,” he added. “I am meeting with the commissioner and mayor to make sure we are on the same page. Art Basel is Miami Beach’s signature event. We are making sure that Art Basel is better than ever this year. We have to get this all sorted out before thousands of people arrive from around the world.”

In order to be granted a permit, party hosts must allow, “City personnel to enter the private property for compliance inspections prior to (accompanied by the owner or agent with mutually agreeable
scheduling) and during the party (at any time),” according to the rules.

Officials have gone so far as to threaten to arrest party organizers who fail to comply.

“If the owner, manager, director, or resident of the property does not comply with the cease and desist demand, the Miami Beach Police Department may arrest each owner, manager, director, or resident for resisting arrest without violence or any other applicable charge,” says the resolution.

The new rules came about after complaints from residents in the ritzy neighborhoods, that are home to waterfront mansions, after dealing with past rowdy parties. 

“It’s a nuisance,” one Hibiscus Island resident told us. “There are drunk people spilling out of the houses day and night, driving recklessly through the neighborhood, and putting people’s lives at risk. There are children in the neighborhood, it’s a residential community. It’s loud, people can’t sleep because they have club-like parties thrown at the houses next to them.”

The ticked off resident also complained about people parking on their lawn, and said there’s a larger issue of the small island’s infrastructure not being able to handle the surge of guests.

The resolution notes that the large events “impact public safety by clogging the narrow roadways on these islands and the roads… such that emergency vehicles cannot respond to emergencies in a timely fashion.” 

Last year’s event at Hochstein’s home turned chaotic with crashers, reported Page Six at the time, with one woman spotted lifting a pal over the fence to sneak in, and another woman taking the aquatic route and swimming up to the estate.

Invited VIPs also had issues getting to and from the event, since the island has one bridge that was jammed with traffic.

Star Island, a gated community of less than 40 homes on 86 acres, was where Diddy had his mansion and held star-packed parties.

In 2013, Star Island was in the headlines during Art Basel when Paris Hilton’s brother Barron claimed that Lindsay Lohan ordered a pal to deck him during an all-night rager.