Will Miami Beach voters OK $159 million for arts at some of city’s iconic venues?

Aaron Leibowitz

Miami Beach voters will decide in November whether to authorize $159 million in bonds for projects at some of the city’s most iconic arts facilities, including the Fillmore, the Bass Museum and the Miami City Ballet.

The Nov. 8 referendum will determine whether more than a dozen facilities and groups receive new funding from the city, marking the second time since 2018 that Miami Beach residents will vote on a major general obligation bond issue.

“It’s going to give us a chance to take our cultural profile to the next level,” Mayor Dan Gelber said at a meeting last week. “Not just a beach, but an art and culture destination that is unequaled anywhere nearby.”

The City Commission voted 5-1 on Monday to advance the referendum to the ballot, with Commissioner Steven Meiner voting against it. The November referendum requires over 50% of the votes to be approved.

According to the city, the cost in property taxes to an “average” homeowner if the measure is approved would be $138 per year, based on a Miami-Dade report that the city’s average taxable home value is $665,000.

The estimated cost per $100,000 of taxable value would be $21 annually, said city spokesperson Melissa Berthier.

In 2018, Miami Beach residents approved $439 million in bonds for projects related to public safety, infrastructure, beaches and parks.

Meiner and other commissioners said they were hesitant to ask residents to vote again for higher taxes as home and rental prices soar.

“There is a high bar for me to pass on a tax increase to our residents,” Meiner said.

Dancers rehearse for The Source at the Miami City Ballet.
Dancers rehearse for The Source at the Miami City Ballet.

Under the proposal, the Fillmore theater would receive $29 million for infrastructure upgrades. The Bass Museum would get $20 million to build a new wing. And the Miami City Ballet would get $16 million, of which $4 million would go toward a workforce housing project with dorm space for the ballet dancers.

The Colony Theater, Miami Beach Botanical Garden, New World Symphony, Miami Beach Bandshell and the Holocaust Memorial would also receive funds.

Over $30 million would be earmarked for the site of the run-down Byron Carlyle Theater in North Beach, where commissioners rejected a proposed apartment complex last year.

Another $4 million would be set aside for workforce housing for artists and staff of the city’s cultural institutions, an idea promoted by Commissioner Alex Fernandez. Miami-Dade County defines workforce housing as housing that is affordable for families with incomes between 60% and 140% of the area’s median income.

The Byron Carlyle Theater in Miami Beach, pictured Jan. 29, 2021.
The Byron Carlyle Theater in Miami Beach, pictured Jan. 29, 2021.

In promoting the bond measure, Gelber spoke about the city’s desire to attract certain types of tourists — those who prefer art to partying. Miami Beach officials have debated for years how to address the party atmosphere of South Beach, particularly during spring break, and in some cases have been accused of fostering a hostile environment for Black and low-income visitors.

The bond issue, Gelber said, “is going to really define who wants to come to our city in a lot of ways.”

“I would much rather have people coming here to really experience and elevate a cultural experience than to come here and have an all-night drinking contest or something like that,” he said.

Since Commissioner Ricky Arriola floated the idea of an arts bond last year, city officials and an advisory group of Miami Beach residents have been meeting with local groups to determine their capital improvement needs. The advisory group recommended three possible funding tiers to the City Commission: $175 million, $141 million and $108 million.

Commissioners landed on the $159 million total after a discussion on each organization’s allocation at a July 20 meeting.

The money would go exclusively toward capital projects rather than programming and staffing, which are areas typically addressed within the city’s operating budget. If the measure passes, debt from the bonds would be paid back over 30 years.

Commissioner Kristen Rosen Gonzalez voted for the referendum, but said she hopes the City Commission will consider lowering the city’s tax rate next year to account for rising property values.

“I don’t love it at a time when we’re having an affordable housing crisis,” she said.

Where the money would go

Here is how the city is proposing to allocate the money if the referendum passes:

  • Byron Carlyle Theater site: $30.6 million

  • Fillmore Miami Beach: $29.1 million

  • Bass Museum of Art: $20.1 million

  • Miami City Ballet: $16 million

  • Miami New Drama at Collins Park Garage: $7.7 million

  • Colony Theater: $7.5 million

  • Holocaust Memorial: $7.2 million

  • Miami Beach Botanical Garden: $6.3 million

  • New World Symphony: $5.7 million

  • The Wolfsonian at FIU: $5 million

  • ReefLine underwater sculpture park: $5 million

  • Workforce housing for cultural institutions: $4 million

  • Art installations at playgrounds: $3.8 million

  • Miami Beach Bandshell: $3.8 million

  • Miscellaneous arts and culture projects: $3 million

  • North Beach Oceanfront Center: $2 million

  • Art Deco Welcome Center: $1.4 million

  • The Jewish Museum of Florida at FIU: $750,000

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