The second presidential debate was scheduled to take place at the Arsht Center in Miami on October 15, 2020, but like most things on the calendar this year, the event has been canceled. (The Commission on Presidential Debates canceled it after the President declined to do it virtually.) Instead, President Trump will be in Miami to host his own town hall meeting this Thursday at 8pm at the Perez Art Museum in Downtown. (The same evening, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will take part in a town hall in Philadelphia, which will air on ABC.)
The socially distanced event will take place outdoors at the PAMM before a small crowd of Florida voters (all required to wear masks and sufficiently space out) and moderator, NBC’s Savannah Guthrie will moderate. Whether or not you tune in to watch (it will air on NBC), there’s one thing you can’t avoid about this presidential visit: the traffic.
There will be significant street closures to prepare for the arrival of the POTUS as well as the throngs of journalists and media expected to descend on the city. According to the Miami Beach police department, I-395 and the MacArthur Causeway will be closed from 7pm to 11pm. Not cars, pedestrians, cyclists or any person or vehicle will be allowed on the road at that time, and closures are expected to be extended.
The Venetian Causeway, the Julia Tuttle Causeway (41st Street) and the 79th Street Causeway will be your only ways in and out of Miami Beach tomorrow evening. This includes folks living on nearby islands (Palm, Fisher, etc.), who will be directed east in order to travel north and off the beach. Downtown traffic will also be affected as the PAMM sits right on Biscayne. If it's anything like it's been for sporting events at the AAA—with people coming from every direction—Thursday night will be bumper to bumper.
We all know that traffic patterns change quickly and plans get altered. For the latest and most up-to-date information, the Miami Beach PD recommends signing up for traffic alerts by texting MBTraffic to 888777. Your phone’s probably already blowing up with robocalls and text messages, at least this one will save you from getting stuck in your car on Biscayne Boulevard.
TRAFFIC: MBPD has been made aware of a visit from @POTUS on Thursday, October 15. Although not in @MiamiBeachNews, the visit will require the FULL CLOSURE of the MacArthur Causeway (I-395) from 7P to 11P. Pedestrians and cyclists will also be prohibited from accessing the Cswy. pic.twitter.com/cYiXYj8v7L
— Miami Beach Police (@MiamiBeachPD) October 13, 2020
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