Miami Commission saw a half-baked deal on Olympia Theater and made the right call | Opinion

The Herald Editorial Board hasn’t minced words to criticize the Miami City Commission, many times calling it dysfunctional. But, on Thursday, commissioners gave a unified show of good governance when they voted unanimously to defer a decision on whether to allow the city to work on a deal to turn over the storied Olympia Theater to a charter-school operator.

The proposal will now be discussed at a July 24 meeting. Commissioners Joe Carollo and Ralph Rosado asked that three public hearings take place before the city makes a decision. That’s important; the public had almost no time to speak on this idea, which would essentially result in a publicly owned and much-loved asset being handed over to a charter school company.

The proposed deal caught both the public and the commission off guard. Carollo said he didn’t hear about it until Tuesday, two days before he and his colleagues were supposed to vote. That’s when many members of the public and the Editorial Board found out about it, too. Rosado called for more “clarity and transparency” on what the deal actually entails.

As the Miami Herald reported, the “transfer” of the 1926 historic theater to rapper Pitbull’s Sports Leadership Arts Management public charter school, also known as SLAM, remains “murky.” SLAM is a nonprofit but it is managed by Academica, a for-profit charter-school operator with deep political ties in Florida.

The deal itself has not been publicly vetted or discussed, the Herald reported. No formal appraisal of the building has been released.

The theater would be be used for educational programs for the downtown public charter school Miami Tech at Mater Innovation Academy, which would be renamed the “Miami Innovation & Arts Academy.” Commission Chair Christine King said that although Miami Dade College is expected to be a partner in the school, she worried that partnership would not be sufficiently specified in a contract with the city, and the college’s reputation would only be used to sell the deal.

The Olympia Theater is a Miami gem. The building features an elaborate theater in classic 1920s style, with a soaring ceiling replicating a night sky with twinkling stars and passing clouds. It started as a silent movie theater and later hosted stars such as Elvis Presley.

Is turning it into an education facility the best use of this building on Flagler Street in downtown — an area that’s being redeveloped at the heart of the city? At the very least, there should be a guarantee that the theater will host a sufficient number of events that are open to the public every year — and we’re not talking about a couple of performances a year just to check a box. Residents and commissioners should resist any attempt to turn the building into a private facility that’s a public benefit in name only.

The Olympia has fallen into disrepair and has barely been used in the past five years, with some exceptions, such as the Miami Film Festival. In 2018, WLRN reported, the property was issued a demolition notice by the city’s own building department. And, in 2019, the heirs of late philanthropist Maurice Gusman, who gave the theater to the Miami Parking Authority in 1975, sued Miami to take back control of the venue. That lawsuit is pending and the deal with SLAM is contingent upon a settlement with the Gusman family.

Oddly, the city hasn’t said where the family stands on the deal. The Gusmans have not issued a public statement.

City Manager Art Noriega has said Miami’s government is not the best entity to run the theater and keep up with the costs of restoring and maintaining it. That may be true but Carollo brought up a good point during Thursday’s meeting.

He said he’s seen “money blown away” on other projects and priorities without a mention of the need to set aside money for the Olympia. He said there’s been a “lack of will” to fund the facility.

Perhaps Carollo is right. Yes, restoring the Olympia could cost upwards of $40 million, as the Herald reported. But had the city prioritized the Olympia over the years, would the venue have reached the point of what appears to be a fire sale to SLAM?

We hope the City Commission maintains its commitment to thoroughly study the idea of transferring ownership of the Olympia Theater to a charter school company, to allow public input and, crucially, to consider other alternatives that are in the public’s best interest.

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