Groups Compete To Bring Back Ft. Lauderdale Air Show

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBS4)- First there were no air shows for four years and now the city of Fort Lauderdale has two shows proposed for next year.

The shows are being planned separately by competing groups and are expected to take place on the beach the last weekend in April, according to The Sun Sentinel. But the news of the two shows has city officials bewildered.

Weeks after a group received permission to develop a 2012 event, promoters of a failed 2010 show have reappeared. They say they were shocked to learn about the new group, have quietly been working on plans for next year and that the city has a contract to back their show, the Sentinel reported.

An emergency meeting is set for Tuesday so city commissioners can choose which proposal to support.

The old Air & Sea Show drew thousands of people for 13 years to the beach to watch flyovers by military fighters, bombers and civilian stunt pilots.

But in 2007 the show came to a halt after its title sponsors withdrew.

The latest effort to revive the show combines longtime beach developer Ramola Motwani and B. Lilley Inc., who produced theCocoaBeachair show for three years.

On June 21, they laid out plans to city commissioners for a scaled-back version of the air show, which would focus north of Sunrise Boulevard and would run from noon to 4 p.m. April 28-29.

Commissioners agreed to write to the Air Force and Navy to reserve planes for the Motwani-B. Lilley show and have their attorneys draw up an agreement for the special event.

But public relations consultant Stan Smith objected.

Smith had tried to organize an air show in 2010, according to the Sentinel. But Smith wasn't able to get enough money and sponsorships for the promised resurrection.

According to the Sentinel, Smith said the contract he worked out with the city for a 2010 show allows him to host one in 2012. He told commissioners this week that he is been working on plans for a show April 28-29 as well.

But that caught the city, beach activists and the Motwani-B. Lilley team by surprise.

Seiler and city officials said they had not heard anything from Smith since the fall.

But while Smith says the city has a contract with him, city attorneys say that is not true. They say any city obligation ended when Smith failed to produce a 2010 show.

City commissioners have instructed their staff to review each proposal and determine how much the city would have to charge to provide needed services. The proposals will be present Tuesday from each team and a decision is expected to be made.

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Sun Sentinel contributed to this report.)