Fifteen separate uses of county tourist development funding that occurred last summer finally received county commission spending approvals totaling $253,000 this month.
The spending ranged from $20,000 to the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce for operating the Coral Gables Welcome Center in its offices to $3,000 to support the staging of an opera last July at the Lehman Theater on Miami Dade College’s North Campus.
The money was granted last September by the Tourist Development Council, chaired by county Commissioner Keon Hardemon. Legislation does not explain the half-year gap between the grants and county commission approval.
The grant money comes from proceeds of two taxes: the 2% tourist development room tax and the 2% hotel/motel food and beverage surtax.
Additionally, the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau provides $25,000 of the grant money.
The grant program supports about 100 projects annually, aiding both nonprofit and for-profit organizations “presenting significant cultural or special events, including sports activities and television and film origination projects that promote Miami-Dade County’s appeal as a tourist destination,” according to a memo from Cathy Burgos, the county’s chief community services officer.
The Tourist Development Council evaluated grant applicants based on their tourism impact and marketing plan; hotel accommodations involved; the applicants’ quality and track record, event coordination, management, and efforts to incorporate the Americans with Disabilities Act into projects; and the project’s fiscal feasibility.
These were the awards:
■Area Images Inc., $10,000 to produce and present eight performances a new play, “Papier Maché, in Spanish and English from Aug. 1-11, 2024, at the Westchester Cultural Arts Center.
■Arena Stage Inc., $12,000 to support the world premiere of a 90-minute immersive adventure of Disney’s The Little Mermaid from July 11-Aug. 4, 2024, in a storefront at Sunset Place in South Miami.
■Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce Foundation, $20,000 to host a walk-in welcome center with information for visitors, hold monthly walking tours and partner with the hospitality industry in the chamber’s offices at 201 Alhambra Circle, Suite 100.
■Doral Contemporary Art Museum, $5,000 to support the museum’s season kickoff opening on Sept. 14, 2024. The event included an experimental short video/film art exhibition and a business and arts panel at Cityplace Doral.
■EdgeZones Inc., $7,500 for production costs of the Miami Performance International Festival ’24 from Sept. 16-22. The event mixed experimental performance and sound art, with more than 20 performances at Edge Zone Art Center, Lummus Park, and Latinos United in Action.
■Florida L’Opera & Zarzuela Corp., $3,000 to support the staging of the opera The Elixir of Love, on July 13, 2024, at the Lehman Theater.
■IFE-ILE Inc, $5,000 to support the 22nd annual IFE-ILE Afro-Cuban Dance Festival from Aug. 2-10, 2024, at Miami Dade College Koubec Memorial Center, HistoryMiami Museum, and Domino Park on Southwest Eighth Street.
■Inffinito Art & Cultural Foundation Inc., $14,000 to support the 28th Brazilian Film Festival from Aug. 30-Sept. 7, 2024, at the Miami Beach Bandshell, O Cinema South Beach, and Silverspot Cinemas in downtown Miami.
■Miami Hispanic Ballet Corp., $20,000 to support the XXIX International Ballet Festival of Miami from July 20-Aug. 11, 2024, at the Miami Hispanic Cultural Arts Center, African Heritage Cultural Arts Center, and Miami Theater Center.
■Miami Music Festival Inc., $14,000 to support the festival’s summer season from July 4-28 at Faena Forum, Temple Emanu-El, Miami Beach Woman’s Club, and Miami Beach Community Church.
■Primer Acto Florida Foundation Inc., $5,000 to support La Que Se Va Armar Comedy Series Sept. 15 and 22 at Teatro Trail.
■Siempre Flamenco Inc., $7,500 to support technical, marketing and production costs of the 18th annual Festival of Flamenco Song in Miami from Aug. 22-25 at the Adrienne Arsht Center.
■The Black Archives History and Research Foundation of South Florida Inc., $20,000 to support the upgrade of the Historic Lyric Theater Visitor Center showcasing historic newspapers with kiosks to let visitors navigate historic images, videos and information.
■The Opera Atelier Inc., $5,000 to support opera performances July 28 and Sept. 28 at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center and the Manuel Artime Theater.
■Tango Loves Organization Inc. to support a single performance along with free tango dance classes Sept. 28, 2024, at the Dennis C. Moss Cultural Arts Center.
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