MIAMI – Miami city commissioners decided that more time was needed to discuss a proposal to give the historic Olympia Theater to a Pitbull-founded charter school.
The Olympia Theater, a 1926-era silent movie house and iconic cultural landmark in downtown Miami, unexpectedly appeared on the commission’s agenda Thursday.
The proposal, which came as a surprise to some commissioners and community members, called for transferring ownership of the city-owned property to SLAM Academy via a quitclaim deed.
Noon report:
Public comment was swift and overwhelmingly critical, with many expressing concern about the lack of transparency.
“I don’t understand what’s going on with our historic theaters here in Miami, but Coconut Grove Playhouse has been an issue for many years and now we’ve got the Olympia being given away,” said resident Deb Dolson. “I think that the details are sketchy.”
Resident Sandy Moise added, “Please don’t give away the iconic historic Olympia Theater. This theater is a cultural gem and a cornerstone of Miami’s identity. Its stewardship should remain public, transparent, and rooted in community use.”
An entrepreneur who said he’s been pitching a renovation proposal for years also spoke.
His vision includes converting the small apartments above the theater into a boutique hotel, developing a rooftop speakeasy as a nod to the building’s late-1920s legacy, and restoring the theater itself.
He said the city’s first request for proposals (RFP) generated no bids because all renovation costs were left to the developers, and the city offered no incentives to support restoration. He also said they were hoping the city would revise the RFP process and issue a new one — when news broke of the proposed no-bid transfer to a privately owned charter school.
Orlando Alonso, entrepreneur and president of OAMusic Productions and Management, told commissioners he had spent six years presenting a proposal to convert the building above the theater into a boutique hotel with a rooftop speakeasy jazz venue, saying, “All of that to act symbiotically with the Olympia Theater to complement the Olympia Theater. So the Olympia Theater comes first.”
“With no community input, no purchase price, and no real plan as to how it will restored and reactive to its intended use. This historic gem should be the crowning jewel of the Flagler redevelopment efforts,” said Cristina Palomo.
Following public comment, commissioners voted unanimously to defer the matter to their second meeting on July 24.
“We need to give a small fair amount of time because otherwise the stink that it is going to have, no matter how good it is, is going to overcome anything that we do,” said Commissioner Joe Carollo.
Read the resolution here:
