Why is the A3 Foundation under scrutiny? Here’s what to know

Even while receiving nearly $1 million from Miami-Dade, the little-known but politically connected A3 Foundation attracted no public attention until the County Commission approved a Parks contract earlier this month securing millions more for the nonprofit amid budget cuts for other charities.

That July 16 vote sparked a series of Miami Herald articles exploring public funding of the A3 Foundation and questions about how it spent its tax dollars.

Here is the latest from the Herald:

July 19: With charity cuts looming, Miami-Dade steers $250,000 a year to this new foundation

In a year where Miami-Dade may slash tens of millions of dollars in nonprofit funding, one new charity with a sparse track record recently secured a $250,000 yearly revenue stream mandated by a county contract. The president of the charity receiving the payments is a top official in the city of Miami’s government.

July 23: Foundation run out of a townhouse won millions from Tallahassee, Miami-Dade. Why?

From a West Miami townhouse, the A3 Foundation has spent its first two years in existence racking up nearly $2 million in government funding from Miami-Dade County and the state.

County emails made public this week illuminate how the A3 Foundation secured county dollars while largely staying out of the public eye, until it wound up the beneficiary of a Parks contract at last week’s County Commission meeting.

July 23: Miami-Dade mayor moves to block future $5 million payout to foundation under scrutiny

Miami-Dade’s mayor said Wednesday she’ll block a planned $250,000 yearly payment to a nonprofit that’s been the subject of scrutiny in recent days over its ability to secure state and county funds without a philanthropic track record.

July 25: ‘The invoice has no detail’: County accountants flagged foundation’s check request

Emails released Thursday offer the first public glimpse at someone in government questioning the county’s payments to A3 — expenditures that are now causing turmoil for two of the most powerful officeholders in Miami-Dade: Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Commission Chair Anthony Rodriguez, who hosts CountryFest.

July 26: How did A3 Foundation spend its county tax dollars? Miami-Dade mayor orders audit

How did the A3 Foundation spend its taxpayer money? Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has ordered her staff to try and find an answer to that question.

In a memo released Saturday, Levine Cava instructed county staff to audit the charity.

July 30: Charity under scrutiny calls its work for Miami-Dade County an ‘overwhelming success’

The charitable foundation behind a Miami-Dade rodeo broke more than a week of silence on Tuesday to push back against questions about how it has spent taxpayer funds, declaring its work for the county “an overwhelming success to date.”