MIAMI: On July 15, Miami-Dade County released its proposed FY 2025-26 budget. If adopted in its current form, the cuts could devastate the local arts ecosystem, impacting hundreds of organizations, artists, students, educators, and families, according to a coalition of Florida theatre organizations. The proposed budget would cut $12.8 million in cultural grant funding (more than 50 percent of current support), eliminate the department of cultural affairs as an independent entity, terminate the director of cultural affairs position, and merge cultural affairs into the public library system, diminishing its visibility and impact. This comes as the county faces a $402 budget deficit. 

“These changes will dismantle decades of cultural growth and reduce access to the arts for residents across the county,” representatives of Miami’s Fantasy Theatre Factory shared in an action email. “This isn’t just about funding—it’s about preserving the future of our cultural identity, our economy, and our children’s access to the arts. Let’s move forward, not backward.”

According to the organizations, the arts generate $2.1 billion in annual economic activity, support over 32,000 jobs, and welcome over four million cultural tourists to the Miami area. For every $1 invested by the county, $42 is returned in community impact. 

They encouraged the community to email mayor Daniella Levine Cava and ask her to restore full arts funding and preserve the Department of Cultural Affairs, contact county commissioners to urge them to restore arts funding, and attend public community budget meetings across Miami between July 31 and Aug. 7 to voice their concerns. Final budget meetings requiring public testimony will be held on Sept. 4 and 18 at 5 p.m.