Civic hype: the Performing Arts Center fiasco is another sign of misguided priorities. Miami-Dade taxpayers should learn from the past

South Florida CEO, June, 2004 by Martin Z. Margulies

The latest round of cost overruns and delays at the once-heralded Miami Performing Arts Center (MPAC) is a clear indication of the continuing misjudgment and misguided priorities of Miami-Dade's political leadership.

Like the Miami Arts Museum (MAM) and other cultural boondoggles, the MPAC is a continuing drain on the limited public resources available to our community. Rather than spend much-needed public money on private, elitist organizations, our elected leaders should address the truly pressing concerns of our county:

* Our schools are falling apart.

* Thousands of children do not have health insurance.

* Our neighborhood parks are considered the worst in the country.

* Community centers and health clinics are non-existent or severely lacking funds.

* Many public housing units are unlivable.

Sadly, Miami-Dade has not been able to address these pressing concerns, partly because of the places where public funds are spent. For example, a 2001 bond issue labeled "Homeland Defense/Neighborhood Improvement" included $6 million for two private museums.

Art museums nationwide are funded privately by philanthropy--not taxpayers' money. To take just one example, the Norton Museum in West Palm Beach recently completed a $40 million expansion, funded 100 percent by private funds.

Here in Miami, public money is being used to fund ever-higher construction costs at the MPAC and operating deficits at MAM's current location. In addition, we are giving away $50 million in land value on a bayfront public park and funding hundreds of millions of dollars in new construction for MAM--an art museum without an art collection, that has failed both in its mission and financial responsibilities. Where is the public or cultural mandate for such folly?

Lobbyists and public relations efforts have equated a MAM building in Bicentennial Park with the Metropolitan Museum in Central Park. Such a comparison is absurd. The Met is surrounded by 830 acres in the heart of Manhattan; it has a world-renowned collection, an endowment, a philanthropic base, and is an international cultural resource. MAM has none of these things. Although four of the 200 top art collectors in the world live in Miami, none of them are on the MAM board. Shouldn't that tell us something about this misguided museum?

Proponents of a new museum in Bicentennial Park propagate the myth that a new building will bring culture and revitalization to downtown Miami. This was part of the original mission for MAM. But for more than 20 years, the museum has been operating out of a downtown building designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson, and clearly it has failed to revitalize the area. The only culture we have in downtown Miami is, unfortunately, the culture of poverty.

A similar claim of revitalization was made for the MPAC, which has already lost one of its primary organizations. The Florida Philharmonic, which dissolved into bankruptcy when it was unable to raise sufficient funds to continue its programming.

Do we really believe that elitist cultural organizations struggling for economic survival themselves will provide the financial engine to address the real needs of our community? The majority of the taxpayers who will be funding the construction of MPAC and the new museums in Bicentennial Park will not even be able to afford tickets to the performances, let alone share in any revitalization. Are these expensive cultural buildings being constructed for the residents of Miami-Dade County or for the narrow economic interests of a few?

Recently the county's commission on ethics issued a report calling Miami a hotbed of corruption and confirming the public's distrust of local government due to gross mismanagement. It is no wonder when our politicians make irresponsible decisions such as:

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

* Funding a $4 million bayfront walkway to a private residential development.

* Lending $3 million for a downtown auto race that is now in default.

* Approving thousands of residential units in downtown without addressing future traffic congestion.

* Building a new basketball arena on public land, while less than a mile away an abandoned arena stands empty and unused.

Miami-Dade has serious and ongoing problems related to; a lack of health care; transportation difficulties; dangerous public housing; and crime and violence in the schools, on the streets, and in the home. These problems cannot be solved by building new art museums or performing arts centers.

Our local politicians should not be wasting public money constructing museums and giving away scarce parkland. Their priorities should be creating initiatives for private ownership of homes in underprivileged and neglected areas. This will create pride and optimism in our most needy communities.

With another $2 billion bond issue on the way. Miami-Dade taxpayers need to remember the miserable mistakes of the past. Otherwise, all of us will be condemned to a repeat performance.

MARTIN Z. MARGULIES

DEVELOPER, BELLINI BAL HARBOUR ON THE OCEAN, AND OWNER OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S PREMIER ART COLLECTIONS