Video: Miami Constituents Debate Plan to Sell Olympia Theater for $10

Commissioners are expected to vote on the fate of the historic downtown venue today.

July 24, 2025

City officials will vote on whether to hand over the reins of the Olympia Theater to SLAM Academy. MDC’s Miami Film Festival photo

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Update, Thursday, July 24, 7 p.m.: After hours of debate, the Miami City Commission decided to delay its decision on the Olympia Theater proposal, claiming more details still needed to be ironed out. Commissioners will revisit the issue in September.

Miami commissioners are expected to decide the fate of the historic Olympia Theater today. After four public comment sessions in ten days (including today's commission meeting), city officials will vote on whether to hand over the reins of the downtown venue to the Pitbull-backed charter school, SLAM Academy.

A draft of the proposed contract was made public just days ago. Among the most eye-popping details is the purchase price — just $10 — though SLAM would be obligated to restore the dilapidated theater as part of the deal. Should the school fail to do so as stipulated, the property would be returned to the city.

Today's session began shortly after 9 a.m., with constituent comments fairly split between support and opposition. Supporters say the SLAM proposal is a viable means of restoring the theater, which has fallen into disrepair under city ownership. Opponents say the deal has been rushed with limited public input and without adequate time to consider alternate proposals. One constituent spoke in favor of the deal but repeatedly referred to the venue as the "Olympic" Theater.

New Times visited the Olympia when it briefly reopened during the Miami Film Festival back in March. It showed visible signs of deterioration, from missing patches of paint to a lack of air conditioning — ironic, as the building is believed to have been the first structure with AC in the South when it opened almost a century ago, in 1926.

The venue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and has lived many lives throughout its nearly 100 years, from a silent movie theater to a concert hall for artists from Elvis Presley to Sufjan Stevens. The extent of SLAM's obligation to continue similar cultural programming remains unclear.

The commission meeting is in recess for lunch, but public comment will resume at 2:30 p.m. Commissioners are expected to vote on the resolution later this afternoon.

Before rejoining Miami New Times as culture editor in 2025, Celia Almeida freelanced for the paper starting in 2016, then came aboard as a staff editor in 2018. Beginning in late 2019, she served as digital editor for Ink. Her writing has been featured in Billboard, Consequence, Paper, and Rolling Stone, among other outlets.

A message from Celia Almeida: If you value independent journalism, please consider making a contribution to support our continued coverage of Miami's vibrant culture and arts scenes.

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