Miami-Dade County’s Cultural
Legacy Is at Risk

The newly proposed 2025–26 Miami-Dade County budget threatens to unravel support for cultural arts organizations and events that make South Florida special.

It calls for a staggering 52% cut to cultural arts grants and proposes the elimination of the Department of Cultural Affairs as we know it—dismantling the very leadership that has helped shape Miami into a cultural beacon.

This is not just about dollars and departments. It’s about preserving the soul and lifeblood of our community. From music to neighborhood theaters, classrooms to community arts programming -- these institutions educate, uplift, and inspire. They are cornerstones of our identity, channels of economic growth, and instruments of social unity.

We stand at a crossroads. Now is the moment to stand together and defend the vibrant cultural fabric that defines Miami-Dade County and has made it a global beacon.

Raise your voice to ensure our artists, students, and audiences continue to thrive. Our future deserves nothing less!

Let Them Hear You — What You Can Do Today!

ACTION #1:

Contact Miami-Dade County Mayor Levine Cava and your County Commissioner

Stand with South Florida’s cultural arts organizations and the Miami-Dade Arts Action Alliance by urging County leaders to:

  • Keep the Department of Cultural Affairs as an independent department

  • Keep the Director of Cultural Affairs position exactly where it is

Use your voice in writing and communicating a message, or use some of the following suggestions. Regardless, you should always lead with something like:

  1. “I am (your name), I live in your district, and I vote.”

  2. Then, share why arts and culture matter to you

  3. And finally, why they matter for the long-term growth of Miami-Dade County.

Here are some details you can use:

  • Economic Impacts:
    -     The arts generate over $2.1 billion annually in Miami-Dade County
    - The arts support 32,000 jobs and attract 4.2 million cultural tourists
    - The arts produce $443 million in public revenue. - For every $1 the County invests in the arts, the return is $42.

  • Investing in the Arts:Between 2006 and 2016, Miami-Dade public-private partnerships chose to invest $1.3 billion in local cultural infrastructure. Miami-Dade County played a pivotal role in the process, helping create the arts ecosystem of today. Their continued support is essential to maintaining and growing that ecosystem for the betterment of our community.

  • A Cultural Hub: According to Miami-Dade County’s own 2024 Arts Energize 305 initiative, “the last 40 years have been focused on building a world-class cultural life from the ground up.” As a result, Miami-Dade County has become home to individuals and companies who bring new energy, creativity, and financial strength.

  • A Risk to the Future: Cuts now would undo decades of investment and diminish Miami-Dade County’s global identity as a thriving cultural capital.

ACTION #2:

Show your support at the Budget Town Halls and Hearings

Attend an upcoming 2025-26 Budget Town Hall Community Meeting: 

Here are the upcoming budget hearings:

  • Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM

  • Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 5:01 PM (Final vote)

  • Location: Stephen P. Clark Government Center – Commission Chambers, 111 NW 1st Street, Suite 625, Miami, FL 33128

  • Public testimony is allowed. Plan on arriving at 3:00 PM to sign up.

This Is About Who We Are

This goes beyond budgets—it’s about our identity and future.

Every call, letter, and comment helps protect the vibrant, inclusive cultural community we’ve built.

Stand with the arts. Add your voice.

You Can Help FOCM Build Resilience to the Proposed Budget Cuts

The proposed reorganization and cuts will especially hit hard on FOCM and the smaller cultural arts organizations broadly scattered around Miami-Dade County. The funding that will be eliminated enable the grants upon which a significant amount of budgets are based.