The City Council wants to look at getting Huntington Beach out of its contract with the operator of a controversial light show planned for Huntington Central Park.
The turnaround for the City Council comes a little over half a year since a unanimous decision in February to enter into the three-year contract for the Symphony of Flowers installation. The operator, Flowers of the Sky Entertainment, LLC, had said the show should bring Huntington Beach at least $150,000 in annual revenue, which councilmembers said could help address a growing budget deficit over the next few years.
There has since been mounting public criticism over the show’s potential to adversely impact wildlife in the park and the open space it would take up for multiple months at a time.
This year’s Symphony of Flowers was postponed after grassroots group Protect Huntington Beach sued the city, alleging that it violated the California Environmental Quality Act by approving the event.
Councilmember Andrew Gruel, who was appointed to the council in March, said this week that Symphony of Flowers does not capture the character of Surf City or “provide the type of seasonal experience” valued by residents. Proposing at Tuesday’s council meeting that the city explore terminating the contract, he argued scrapping the show would save the city significant staffing, equipment and permitting expenses.
“With our budget tight, we need to focus on programs that serve the community better,” he said.
His council colleagues unanimously agreed for city staff to look at terminating the contract.
Councilmember Chad Williams said he talked to Symphony of Flowers spokesperson Glen Becerra, who expressed support for shelving the project for the time being.
“His understanding, I think, was that if there ever was a future, it would have to be something that works with Protect HB, works with Symphony of Flowers and works with the city,” Williams said.
The multimedia project was supposed to take place at Huntington Central Park for six months of the year, installing more than 100,000 luminous flowers and 500,000 LED lights. Each viewing, which would last around 30 minutes, was expected to draw around 900 people.
From the get-go, Symphony of Flowers faced strong opposition from both residents and state regulators.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a March 7 letter that lighting and noise from the show could disrupt the diverse bird species that live at the park, including the bald eagle and monarch butterfly.
Hundreds of people emailed and spoke at City Council meetings to express their concerns, while a petition to consider the project’s environmental consequences gathered nearly 4,000 signatures.
Protect HB agreed in a Sept. 3 court filing to suspend the lawsuit for 90 days so the city, the promoter and residents could hammer out a new agreement that addresses the public’s concerns.