A new winter wonderland event will proceed to open next week at Tropical Park, the former home of Santa's Enchanted Forest.
Lawyers for Christmas Wonderland — a competing theme park set to debut on Nov. 16 — said Friday that after a four-hour evidentiary hearing, a court denied a motion for a preliminary injunction from the owners of Santa's Enchanted Forest.
Last week, the owners of Santa's Enchanted Forest filed a civil lawsuit against Miami-Dade County and Loud and Live Engage, the company behind Christmas Wonderland, claiming the county repeatedly informed Santa's owners that any subsequent use of Tropical Park for a large-scale holiday fair like Santa’s — or any other event of a similar size and scope — must be competitively awarded.
Santa's called Tropical Park home for nearly four decades before the county refused to renew its lease back in 2020.
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“Today, our client, Christmas Wonderland prevailed over Santa’s Enchanted Forest’s attempt to shut down a fresh and new holiday event at Tropical Park. We are grateful that the court saw through SEF’s frivolous and self-interested attempt to be the only holiday event in town," the attorneys of Christmas Wonderland said in a statement Friday. "Their transparent attempt to criticize a lawful procurement process that benefited them for 37 years is clearly not in the public’s best interest as it would prevent any Christmas event from taking place at Tropical Park this year. A vindictive Santa is not a good look."
Santa's Enchanted Forest reopened Thursday at its current home in Medley.
