Miami plans to turn over century-old theater to charter school

The Miami, Florida, City Commission is scheduled to vote next week on a proposal to turn over the iconic 1926 Olympia Theater to a charter school affiliated with rapper Pitbull.

The Miami Herald reports that the charter school, Sports Leadership Arts Management, or SLAM for short, would take title to the run-down theater and an adjacent 10-story building, where the actual school would be housed.

In exchange, the school would agree to restore and repair the aging theater in compliance with historical preservation requirements.

The official purchase price is listed as $10, although the school would be on the hook to invest tens of millions of dollars into restoring the property.

The proposal is set to go before the City Commission on Thursday.

Community members have argued that the deal feels rushed. City Manager Art Noriega says the parties are motivated to move quickly so that some portion of the property can be ready for use in time for the start of the school year.

SLAM’s chief administrative officer, Millie Sanchez, says there will be a minimum requirement for 180 days of community programming in the theater each year. The draft contract stipulates that the property will revert to the city if SLAM fails to meet its repair and restoration obligations, or if the space is no longer used for public education purposes.

Mayor Francis Suarez says he is confident in the city’s plan, noting that the theater has been languishing for years. “I’ve been here for 16 years,” Suarez said. “No one’s given me a better idea.”