After Backlash, Mayor Levine Cava Says She'll "Nearly Fully" Restore Cultural Funding

Miami's cultural community has been rattled by budget cuts coming seemingly from all directions over the past few months. First came Governor Ron Desantis' funding cuts last summer, then President Donald Trump's slashing of National Endowment for the Arts grants. Then, last month, came a budget proposal from Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava that would slash $12.8 million in arts grants and eliminate the Department of Cultural Affairs, merging it into the Library Department and likely creating redundancies.

Local arts leaders were quick to sound the alarm. Independent theater companies and venues like O Cinema and Sweat Records formed Arts Action Miami, a coalition of arts organizations expressing opposition to the proposed cuts and to the elimination of the Department of Cultural Affairs.

Weeks later, it appears the mayor has heard their protests. On Tuesday evening, Levine Cava announced an update to her proposed budget, including the addition of "nearly $66 million in newly identified and recovered funds," according to a statement from her office.

The statement identifies the "newly identified" funds as coming from unspent funds from Constitutional Offices ($33.2 million), additional departmental adjustments ($6.6 million), and already announced funds from the Tax Collector’s Office ($26 million).

Levine Cava's amended proposal restores nearly all cultural arts programming grants, but not all. Whereas she'd initially proposed cutting $12.8 million, the new proposal cuts $1.3 million, leaving $11.5 million in arts funding. Crucially, the amended proposal maintains an independent Department of Arts and Culture.

"Through diligent work to streamline operations, update revenue projections, and recover unspent funds, as well as continued collaboration with the Constitutional Officers and County Commission, we are able to restore important programs and services while protecting taxpayer dollars and strengthening our financial foundation for the future," Levine Cava said in a statetement, adding, "Residents asked us to protect arts and culture, community programs, parks, and essential services for our most vulnerable — and we listened."

Meanwhile, Arts Action Miami will gather at the Stephen P. Clark Government Center on Wednesday morning to keep the pressure on commissioners to maintain funding for cultural programming in Miami. The group had already announced the action before Levine Cava's announcement, and the demonstration will go on as planned with performances by Miami creatives, as well as a press conference expressing opposition to arts funding cuts.

Read Mayor Levine Cava's memo announcing her amended budget proposal below.