The last few months have not been kind to Rapture Festival in Florida. Despite having lived at Virginia Key for two years and already booking dates for a third on the island, a 4-1 vote from the Miami City Commission ousted the festival in favor of Ultra Music Festival, which itself was ousted from Bayfront Park earlier in 2018.
After much opposition, Rapture conceded the loss and began a search for a new home. “Our search for a new location that will allow our original vision to continue has yielded us several amazing locations that we can honestly say are much better than our original home,” it wrote on Facebook in November in a now-deleted post.
As it turns out, it seems that search hasn’t yielded any promising results as Rapture has delivered a cease & desist letter to Ultra Music Festival, asking it to stop applying for any new permits. 
“We are investigating this matter further and if [you] do not immediately withdraw your application that directly interferes with our client’s planned festival time and location, we will be taking immediate action against you, the City and Virginia Key Beach Park Trust,” reads the letter from Rapture’s attorney, Paul K. Silverberg. “Any continued behavior and furtherance of the complained act will be considered willful and subject you to punitive damages.”
Permits that Ultra is currently still applying for include one “from Miami-Dade’s Division of Environmental Resources Management to construct a temporary dock at the Marine Stadium to accommodate the water taxis,” according to Miami Herald.
Miami City Attorney Victoria Mendez and Ultra spokesman Ray Martinez declined to comment on the letter.
via Miami Herald | Photo via EDMkevin for Ultra
