City of Miami to consider renegotiating Watson Island sale, Tower Theater management
By Joshua Ceballos
January 7, 2026 at 6:00 AM EST
This Thursday marks the first City of Miami Commission meeting of 2026, and the city is roaring out of the gate with several high-profile resolutions including a potential clawback of a controversial land deal on Watson Island and the return of a cultural landmark to Miami Dade College.
This will be the first official meeting under newly-elected mayor Eileen Higgins and new District 3 Commissioner Rolando Escalona — both of whom won runoff elections in December.
Escalona replaced longtime commissioner Joe Carollo, and Higgins campaigned on bringing a new era to City Hall with less drama and more decorum.
One of the more surprising items on the agenda is the potential clawback of a recent commission decision to sell a portion of city-owned Watson Island, the home of Jungle Island and the Miami Children's Museum.
READ MORE: Watson Island property sold at Francis Suarez's last meeting as Miami Mayor
Newly elected Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins (121x182, AR: 0.6648351648351648)
At the last meeting of 2025, the commission voted to sell 3.2 acres of land on Watson Island to developer BH3 Merrimac for $29 million dollars. Many critics of the move believed the city sold for too little, and could have gotten a lot more for taxpayers. The city administration said that this was the highest price they could sell for because of restrictions on the property that wouldn't let them get the full value estimated at more than $200 million.
At the time, Commissioner Ralph Rosado was the sole "no" vote against the sale, hoping to renegotiate the terms. Now Rosado has introduced a resolution to reexamine the sale and attempt to renegotiate the deal with BH3. It’s unclear if Rosado will have the support he needs to change the deal with only one new commissioner on the dais.
The commission also has another item that looks to rehash the actions of the previous year. A new resolution looks to shift city elections from odd years to even years to align with federal and state voting.
The commission passed a measure to do just that last year, but the change was struck down after it was challenged in Miami-Dade County Court. Former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez sued the city, arguing it violated its own laws by amending the city charter without voter approval by referendum. Gonzalez succeeded in his suit, and the election date change was reversed.
This time, however, commissioners are trying to shift the election through the proper channels, with a resolution to send a referendum to voters asking if elections should be held on even years. The new resolution also seeks to move the election in 2031 to 2032, that way the current slate of commissioners and mayor do not stand to benefit from an additional year in office.
Additionally, an item sponsored by Higgins and Escalona seeks to return the management of the Tower Theater on Calle Ocho in Little Havana to Miami Dade College.
In 2022, the city, which owns the theater property, did not renew its management contract with Miami Dade College and took control of the Tower. This was met with protests and sharp criticism from supporters of the theater, as the college had managed the venue for decades as a cultural icon and host to many film festival events. Under the city's management, programming at Tower Theater has been minimal.
Higgins and Escalona's resolution, if passed, will give Miami Dade College the reins of the theater for 20 years, with automatic renewals every five years.
Rolando Escalona, new Commissioner for Miami City District 3, at his election party on Dec. 9, 2025. (1140x795, AR: 1.4339622641509433)
Thursday's meeting will also see a measure that could jumpstart a decades-long effort to build a museum at the historic Virginia Key Beach Park. The city has had more than $20 million dollars in funding for a Black history museum locked up for more than 20 years. City leaders have held off on releasing those funds until they were certain the Virginia Key Beach Trust could operate the museum responsibly.
Now it seems the new commission may be ready to move forward with the project, as a new resolution would direct the city to design and build the history museum at the park and pay the Trust for management of the property. Virginia Key Beach is a location of significant importance to Miami's Black history, as the first beach where Black residents were allowed to use in Miami-Dade County during segregation.
This will be the first official meeting under newly-elected mayor Eileen Higgins and new District 3 Commissioner Rolando Escalona — both of whom won runoff elections in December.
Escalona replaced longtime commissioner Joe Carollo, and Higgins campaigned on bringing a new era to City Hall with less drama and more decorum.
One of the more surprising items on the agenda is the potential clawback of a recent commission decision to sell a portion of city-owned Watson Island, the home of Jungle Island and the Miami Children's Museum.
READ MORE: Watson Island property sold at Francis Suarez's last meeting as Miami Mayor
Newly elected Miami Mayor Eileen Higgins (121x182, AR: 0.6648351648351648)
At the last meeting of 2025, the commission voted to sell 3.2 acres of land on Watson Island to developer BH3 Merrimac for $29 million dollars. Many critics of the move believed the city sold for too little, and could have gotten a lot more for taxpayers. The city administration said that this was the highest price they could sell for because of restrictions on the property that wouldn't let them get the full value estimated at more than $200 million.
At the time, Commissioner Ralph Rosado was the sole "no" vote against the sale, hoping to renegotiate the terms. Now Rosado has introduced a resolution to reexamine the sale and attempt to renegotiate the deal with BH3. It’s unclear if Rosado will have the support he needs to change the deal with only one new commissioner on the dais.
The commission also has another item that looks to rehash the actions of the previous year. A new resolution looks to shift city elections from odd years to even years to align with federal and state voting.
The commission passed a measure to do just that last year, but the change was struck down after it was challenged in Miami-Dade County Court. Former Miami City Manager Emilio Gonzalez sued the city, arguing it violated its own laws by amending the city charter without voter approval by referendum. Gonzalez succeeded in his suit, and the election date change was reversed.
This time, however, commissioners are trying to shift the election through the proper channels, with a resolution to send a referendum to voters asking if elections should be held on even years. The new resolution also seeks to move the election in 2031 to 2032, that way the current slate of commissioners and mayor do not stand to benefit from an additional year in office.
Additionally, an item sponsored by Higgins and Escalona seeks to return the management of the Tower Theater on Calle Ocho in Little Havana to Miami Dade College.
In 2022, the city, which owns the theater property, did not renew its management contract with Miami Dade College and took control of the Tower. This was met with protests and sharp criticism from supporters of the theater, as the college had managed the venue for decades as a cultural icon and host to many film festival events. Under the city's management, programming at Tower Theater has been minimal.
Higgins and Escalona's resolution, if passed, will give Miami Dade College the reins of the theater for 20 years, with automatic renewals every five years.
Rolando Escalona, new Commissioner for Miami City District 3, at his election party on Dec. 9, 2025. (1140x795, AR: 1.4339622641509433)
Thursday's meeting will also see a measure that could jumpstart a decades-long effort to build a museum at the historic Virginia Key Beach Park. The city has had more than $20 million dollars in funding for a Black history museum locked up for more than 20 years. City leaders have held off on releasing those funds until they were certain the Virginia Key Beach Trust could operate the museum responsibly.
Now it seems the new commission may be ready to move forward with the project, as a new resolution would direct the city to design and build the history museum at the park and pay the Trust for management of the property. Virginia Key Beach is a location of significant importance to Miami's Black history, as the first beach where Black residents were allowed to use in Miami-Dade County during segregation.