Before being elected to the Miami-Dade County Commission in 2011, I participated in various demonstrations aimed at accelerating the restoration of the Coconut Grove Playhouse. One, organized by Coconut Grove activist Nathan Kurland, welcomed the appearance and support of local Hollywood actor Andy Garcia.
As Commissioner for Coconut Grove, I immediately began discussions with then-Mayor Carlos Gimenez, who was elected in the same special election.
Initially, the intent of the county mayor's approach was similar to mine. We both wanted to take back control of the theater from the private owners who had closed it down, left it in disrepair, and were in financial trouble.
This was made possible with the support of then Lieutenant Governor Carlos López Cantera, who drafted and passed a bill that retroactively stripped private non-profit organizations and gave control of the playhouse to a combination of public organizations. A three-party lease agreement involving the state, county and Florida International University was signed.
Under that agreement, the county was to deliver the completed playhouse by October 2023.
We leveraged $20 million in funding from our 2004 general obligation bond (“Building Better Communities”). However, the architects selected for the redesign felt that this was insufficient to fully restore a theater of the size of the historic 1,100-seat theater.
At that point, I began working with private sector donors and the City of Miami (through then-Mayor Tomas Regalado) to close the estimated $25 million shortfall needed to further restore the Playhouse. I did.
When I was unable to persuade Mayor Jimenez to accept a large funding promise from a private group (represented by former Adrian Arsht Center President Mike Eidson), I asked then-County Commission Chairman Esteban Bovo. He and Junior convened two Sunshine Meetings.
The gist of my proposal was to embrace the idea of a medium-sized theater and, with significant funding from the City of Miami, start with a 500-seat theater with the façade maintained and amenities such as a plaza. Also includes an educational black box theater.
The City of Miami has contributed the $10 million pledged by Mayor Regalado. This funding formula was later strengthened with the participation of Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, who reiterated the city's commitment of $10 million (from its own general obligation fund approved in 2017). Mayor Suarez added an additional $5 million from the Coconut Grove Business Improvement District.
We are getting closer to the funds we need. The lieutenant governor, county commissioners, and newly elected mayor of Miami supported the construction of a larger theater more in line with the original historic theater.
Mayor Jimenez initially supported the compromise, but soon proposed a mixed-use facility that would include a small 250-seat theater, a small number of retail stores, and a large parking building.
As detailed in a recent op-ed by Mike Rosenberg, the county's ongoing idea was opposed by several preservationists, Mayor Suarez, and the Historic Environment Commission.
So it's all going to court right now, and that's a shame because the judiciary has no intention or ability to resolve these art and architecture and funding disputes.
Meanwhile, the October 2023 deadline imposed by the state of Florida to complete the project has passed without any progress being made.
The various parties, the state, county, and FIU, would be obligated to halt the litigation and work to negotiate a resolution.
The solution was to preserve much of the historic theater's structure, eliminate the storefronts, and obtain naming rights to fund a medium-sized facility that fully respected the 1927 design by famed architect Richard. This should be in line with the previously agreed policy of finding the necessary civilian component through the Keenel.
Xavier Suarez is a former Miami Mayor and former Miami-Dade Commissioner.
