23 Jul Miami’s cultural future is under threat: Act now!

Proposed budget cuts slash 52% of arts funding. The time to speak out is now.

Miami’s Arts Are in Crisis — Let’s Defend Them Together

An Urgent Message from the Miami-Dade Arts Action Alliance

On July 15, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava released the proposed Miami-Dade County budget for FY 2025-2026, which includes devastating cuts to the arts. If approved by the Board of County Commissioners in September this budget would take the following devastating actions:
– $12.8 million cut to cultural grants funding—a more than 50% reduction
– A merger of the Department of Cultural Affairs into the Miami-Dade Public Library System
– The elimination of the position of Director of the Department of Cultural Affairs
These actions would dismantle Miami-Dade’s nationally respected arts infrastructure, severely reduce access to cultural programming to residents across the county, and threaten the very existence of small and mid-sized arts organizations and the livelihood of artists that serve communities across Miami-Dade County.

WHY THIS MATTERS

– Cultural grants are a lifeline for hundreds of arts groups and thousands of local artists.
– The arts in Miami-Dade generate over $2.1 billion annually, support 32,000 jobs, attract 4.2 million cultural tourists and produce $443 million in public revenue. Every dollar Miami-Dade County invests in the arts leverages an additional $42. The arts in Miami-Dade County mean business.
– Artists and Cultural Institutions provide essential services—educational programs, cultural enrichment, social wellbeing, and economic opportunity—in every corner of our community.
– These cuts would undo decades of investment and undermine Miami-Dade County’s global identity as a thriving cultural capital.
This proposed budget is NOT FINAL! This can be reversed. The budget will be finalized at the second and final budget hearing on Thursday, September 18, 2025. We have from now until then.

THE MESSAGE

Tell the Mayor and your County Commissioner to:
– Restore arts grants funding
– Keep the Department of Cultural Affairs independent and preserve the Director position.

WHAT YOU CAN DO — TAKE ACTION NOW IN 5 EASY STEPS!

1- Contact Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava: Mayor@miamidade.gov.
2- Contact your County Commissioner. Find your Commissioner here: https://www.miamidade.gov/global/government/commission/home.page.

Mayor: Daniella Levine Cava, daniella.cava@miamidade.gov
Anthony Rodriguez, Chairman and District 10 district10@miamidade.gov
Kionne L. McGhee, Vice-Chairman and District 9 KionneMcGhee@miamidade.gov
Oliver G. Gilbert, III, District 1 district1@miamidade.gov
Marleine Bastien, District 2 district2@miamidade.gov
Keon Hardemon, District 3 district3@miamidade.gov
Micky Steinberg, District 4 district4@miamidade.gov
Eileen Higgins, District 5 district5@miamidade.gov
Natalie Milian Orbis, District 6 district6@miamidade.gov
Raquel A. Regalado, District 7 district7@miamidade.gov
Danielle Cohen Higgins, District 8 district8@miamidade.gov
Roberto J. Gonzalez, District 11 RobJGonzalez@miamidade.gov
Juan Carlos Bermudez, District 12 district12@miamidade.gov
Senator René Garcia, District 13 district13@miamidade.gov

CALL, EMAIL OR TEXT Your County Commissioner NOW

A quick phone call or text can make a big impact. Tell them how arts grants have impacted your work, your community, or your neighborhood.

3- ENGAGE High-Profile Donors and Board Members

Urge your Board Members and top donors to contact the Mayor and Commissioner directly. Their voices carry weight. Encourage them to:
– Email or text the Mayor and Commissioners
– Make personal phone calls
– Emphasize how these cuts would impact Miami’s reputation and economy

4- STAY INFORMED AND SHARE THE MESSAGE

– Follow and repost updates on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/artsactionmiami
– Look out for and share advocacy email alerts from the Arts Action Alliance.
– Here are the economic impact facts: https://artsbizmiami.org/join/economic-impact.

5. SHOW UP AT THE BUDGET TOWNHALLS AND THE BUDGET HEARINGS

Budget Townhall Community Meetings: schedule and locations TBA

Budget Hearings – Board of County Commissioners – SAVE THE DATES!
Thursday, September 4, 2025 at 5:01 PM
Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 5:01 PM
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 PM to sign up.
Let your voice be heard!

YOUR VOICE MATTERS!

Every email, phone call, text message and testimony counts. Together, we can stop these cuts.
Let’s defend what we’ve built—a vibrant, diverse, and dynamic arts community that reflects the spirit of Miami-Dade and inspires the world.

Join the movement. Take action today.
The future of the arts in Miami-Dade County depends on all of us.

In solidarity,

The Miami-Dade Arts Action Alliance
(a coalition of artists, arts collectives, arts groups, cultural organizations, volunteers, arts supporters and arts patrons – formerly known as the Dade Cultural Alliance)

📣 If the arts are so important for Miami, as Mayor Levine Cava says, then why are our funds being cut? Watch this and decide for yourself