City officials plan to announce that they have forced Ultra Music Festival out of concerns over the novel coronavirus. While the precautions for the virus are understandable, this decision to cancel Ultra Music Festival is clearly being driven by purely political motives.

Due to the fact that the majority of attendees booked their travel accommodations months ago, Miami will still be inundated with travelers from around the globe. Disneyworld remains open - a park a few hundred miles away that attracts the same number of attendees on a daily basis. South-by-Southwest - a conference that hosts a similar number of attendees - will continue as planned.

The reality of this purely political decision is clear - Miami city officials have been looking for an excuse to shut down Ultra Music Festival for the past few years, having forced a change of venue last year and threats of not allowing the festival to continue as planned this year being circulated a few months ago.

Authoritarian decisions like these will destroy Miami tourism. The local city government must be held accountable and removed from office immediately.

Help send a message - Dictators are not welcome in the city of Miami.