Arts Action Miami — a county-wide campaign run by two advocacy groups comprised of cultural nonprofits, artists and related businesses — is appealing to supporters to voice their opposition to Mayor Daniella Levine Cava’s proposed funding cuts of $13 million and the elimination of the Department of Cultural Affairs.
The Arts Action Alliance and Miami Cultural Coalition are urging supporters to contact Miami-Dade County commissioners and Levine Cava’s office to urge the government leaders to keep such funding intact. They launched a petition directed at the mayor that has generated more than 5,000 signatures.
READ MORE: Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava defends her proposed budget, answers commission critics
Arts Action Alliance Miami-Dade County wants commissioners to:
• Restore $12.8M in cultural grants.
• Keep Department of Cultural Affairs independent.
• Maintain arts leadership to steward Miami-Dade’s creative economy.
In her 2025-26 budget, Levine Cava has proposed a 52% reduction in funding for cultural events and activities to help close a $402 million budget deficit. She told WLRN her budget is “fair and balanced” and protects essential services. Commissioners must approve the budget early next month.
The county's proposed cuts come at a time when local culture and arts organizations were already struggling to stay afloat due to other government funding cuts. Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $32 million in art and culture grants, and more recently, President Donald Trump called to eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency that provides hundreds of millions of dollars to fund arts and culture nationwide.
“What is happening to the arts and culture community ... is a violent assault on our very existence and an attempt to eliminate freedom of expression and creativity in this country," said Beth Boone, Artistic & Executive Director of Miami Light Project and co-founder of MCC.
Members of the advocacy groups say arts and culture organizations and events pump $2.1 billion into the local economy each year and support 32,000 jobs.
“Less than one percent of the county budget fuels one of Miami-Dade’s biggest job creators,” Boone said. “Eliminating it is economic self-sabotage and an existential threat to Miami’s cultural community.”
The groups report that county grants go to more than 100 nonprofit organizations that reach more than 300,000 children and families annually.
“Small and mid-sized arts organizations are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and the backbone of our local economy,” said Renee Pesci, Executive Director of the Arts & Business Council of Miami and an Alliance member, in a statement.
“Eliminating this funding would force theaters to go dark, galleries and nonprofits to close, and threaten the survival of the restaurants, businesses, and vendors that thrive alongside them,” Pesci said.
What's next?
The Arts Action Alliance and Miami Cultural Coalition are urging local residents in Miami-Dade to attend the next county budget hearing on Sept. 4, beginning at 5 p.m. to voice their opposition to the proposed cuts. The hearing is being held at Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW 1st St., Miami.
County commissioners are scheduled to vote on a final budget on Sept. 18, beginning at 5 p.m. The hearing is being held at Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 NW 1st St., Miami.
Local residents can find their commissioner here by entering their address. They also encourage supporters to reach out to the Mayor via the petition and via email: mayor@miamidade.gov
