$11.5 million could be reinstated to Miami-Dade’s cultural arts community

It is by far the best news that the Miami-Dade arts and cultural community has received since the FY2025-26 budget proposal was announced in July. The original budget proposal had the cultural arts sector on track for a 52 percent cut in county financial support and the elimination of $12.8 million in arts grants. Also, it was proposed that the Department of Cultural Affairs would no longer be a standalone entity but would be absorbed into the county’s Library Services division.

Mayor Daniella Levine Cava told a well-attended virtual town hall – almost 400 — hosted by The Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs Council on Tuesday, that she is proposing to the Board of County Commissioners that $11.5 million be reinstated to the county budget. Her amended proposed budget restores a total of $65,815,000 overall for other previously announced cuts (see the Mayor’s memo for details). Some of the funds, Cava stated, will be from a return of unspent funds in the FY2024-25 budget.

“After a thorough review of available resources, including updated revenue projections and departmental efficiencies stemming from the hard work our administration has done to improve governmental operations, I am pleased to announce that we have identified additional funding for FY2025-26,” she stated in a memo released shortly before the Town Hall to County Commissioners, which included the recommendation that nearly all the funding for one-time grants for cultural arts programming be restored. “The funding will be allocated on a pro-rated basis based on last year’s funding amounts,” the memo stated.

There are caveats, which Cava stressed on the Zoom call – that the funding is non-recurring and that organizations should be working toward long-term sustainability as allocations cannot be guaranteed in future budget years.

And, while she said she is the one that “gets the blame” for the budget, it is the decision of the commissioners. There are still two budget proposal meetings on Sept 4 and 18 until the final adoption of the FY2025-26 budget. The $11.5 million for arts and cultural is a proposal, not a guarantee.

“I propose, they decide. I will tell you that there are quite a number of commissioners that are very supportive of what I proposed. I do think there is a lot of support but we also have commissioners that have special initiatives or projects in mind over things that I’ve proposed, so I do think it’s important to be vigilant – to stay vigilant.”

In announcing that the Department of Cultural Affairs would remain independent, it was also stressed that there could not be the promise of a long-term commitment regarding the department. Cava’s memo stated that her administration” has been working closely with philanthropic partners on a potential funding grant through private dollars to help support the department.”

Would the director’s position of the Department of Cultural Affairs be filled with this new reinstated independence for the department? Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs Director Marialaura Leslie submitted her resignation effective Aug. 31.

“Marialaura Leslie has served us so very, very, well for many years, including with Michael Spring when he was here,” said Cava, mentioning current Department of Cultural Affairs deputy director Ashlee Thomas and assistant director Graham Winick, who were present on the call.

“Every department has a director,” said Cava. “And I know that there has been some talk about a search. We do typically do a search and certainly encourage folks to apply. But I’m very confident that Ashlee and Graham will continue the job of moving things forward and we’ll see about the future.”

The mayor urged continued advocacy, asking the arts community to amplify the message about the difficult choices the county faces and to support the overall budget, not just arts funding.

“We’re living in a new world. We’re not getting restoration of federal dollars anytime soon, no significant state dollars. We had a huge amount of federal support that is now gone and it’s not coming back,” said Cava.

Crisis creates opportunity, said the mayor. “It needs to move us forward and yes, it’s been a lot of work to get to this resolution, and we’ve all put in a lot of work.”

That the resolution was a temporary fix was a definite throughline and that the county would continue exploring options like bond measures and partnerships, and making county facilities more accessible to artists and organizations.

But there was also a call to action for arts organizations to continue to work on their own plans for long-term sustainability.

“We’re going to get through this and then we’re going to figure out where we go from here together,” said Cava in closing.

Arts Action Miami is still planning its ground-floor arts activation n Wednesday at 8 a.m., just before the City Commission’s budget hearing is set to begin at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center until 9:15 a.m. The budget hearing begins at 9:30 a.m.

Artists will be performing and engaging the public along with a press conference surrounded by live performances, according to Arts Action Miami, the grass roots effort that was launched in response to the proposed reduction to arts funding and in an effort to urge continued support.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Miami-Dade Arts Action Alliance has created an Advocacy Toolkit that can be downloaded here.  It also has social media ready graphics. More information on its website.

The Board of County Commissioners will discuss the FY 2025-26 proposed budget at public hearings on Thursday, Sept. 4, and Thursday, Sept. 18, at 5:01 p.m., at the Stephen P. Clark Center – Commission Chambers, 111 NW 1st St., Suite 625, Miami. Public testimony is allowed at the hearings. Plan to arrive early to sign up at the visitor’s desk in the lobby and fill out a speaker’s card. Each speaker is generally given 2 minutes to address the Board.

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