The City of Miami Commission voted Thursday to approve the purchase and sale of the historic Olympia Theater in downtown Miami.
The theater, which turns 100 years old next year, will now belong to SLAM, the public charter school network cofounded by music star Pitbull.
SLAM promises to preserve and revitalize
Millie Sanchez with SLAM, or Sports Leadership Arts Management, said the organization is excited about the future of the Olympia Theater and intends to preserve it while creating opportunities for students.
“Our proposal and our project is to preserve the theater. Make it available for the public and at the same time create a space for a program that high school students to be able to and college students to actually learn the industry,” Sanchez said.
She added that the plan calls for hosting a minimum of 180 events per year at the venue, bringing major productions to the century-old theater.
“We’re looking at working with people in the local community in the art space from the Latin Grammy Foundation to the Florida Grand Opera to FilmGate,” Sanchez said.
Community voices concerns
Not everyone welcomed the deal. Some residents say the commission’s decision was rushed and lacked transparency.
“What’s most concerning this was done without a bid process. It should’ve been transparent to fair bid that anyone could’ve submitted a proposal on a level playing field,” said Sandy Moise, a Miami resident.
Moise said watching commissioners vote unanimously for the deal was like watching them hand over a city treasure.
“In this situation there’s no lease fee. The date is given away, free and clear the building is given away. The land is given away. The TDR air rights are given away, and the residents are left with nothing,” she said.
Legal challenges ahead
Moise and her attorney said they plan to file a lawsuit challenging the process, citing the lack of competitive bidding.
Meanwhile, SLAM said it plans to move forward by opening a school adjacent to the Olympia Theater while restoring the theater to its original standards.
