Miami-Dade County officials responded this week to critics who say the county’s plan to save the playhouse will instead lead to its loss.
In the wake of a construction mishap that put the 99-year-old Coconut Grove Playhouse at risk of collapse, Miami-Dade County on Wednesday pushed back against critics who say its efforts to restore the historic theater are illegal, misguided and woefully inept.
Led by County Commissioner Raquel Regalado, Miami-Dade officials provided a public briefing on the project, beginning with an update on the state of the structure.
Miami building officials feared the playhouse might collapse two weeks ago after construction workers blundered by removing a load-bearing wall, causing a partial collapse of the third floor, which in turn weakened the roof and exterior walls.
Marialaura Leslie, director of the county’s Department of Cultural Affairs, which is spearheading the project, said efforts to stabilize the building are continuing.
“The exterior has been fully braced and protected, and the city gave us the go-ahead to proceed with the work of shoring up the interior,” Leslie said. “So right now, the bracing is being put up in the interior to make sure that the structure is safe.
“That’s what we are working on right now” she added. “The City of Miami had put a stop work order on the project – rightfully so – to ensure safety. Once that is lifted, when the interior bracing is inspected, then the work to preserve (the playhouse) can continue.”
During the course of the hour-long virtual briefing, county officials also insisted – contrary to what critics say – that the phase one demolition work that began in April is properly approved and permitted.
“For phase one, we have the approvals that are required,” said Assistant County Attorney James “Eddie” Kirtly. “That includes both “certificate of appropriateness” approvals, both for our master plan and our final plans, as well as the partial demolition approval.”
Critics of the county’s plan dispute that. They went back to court in April to litigate those issues and stop the demolition work. The lawsuit is pending.
The City of Miami confirmed on Wednesday that signed and sealed demolition plans were submitted to the city and approved by building officials, along with structural bracing drawings. The city quoted from those plans in response to Spotlight questions.
“The building structure is in a deteriorated state,” the plans state. “There exist a number of unsafe floor areas throughout the building that cannot support foot traffic. The contractor shall carefully survey all work areas and install barricades, temporary shoring and/or perform temporary floor enhancements as required to provide safe walking surfaces during the bracing and demolition phase.”
It’s not clear whether those steps were taken before a portion of the third floor collapsed on May 21. That partial collapse has raised concerns about the condition of the overall structure and the care with which the work is proceeding.
Earlier this week, members of the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board (HEPB) looked for ways to assert their jurisdiction over the project, after expressing concern about the open windows along the front of the playhouse – especially in light of the heavy rains that fell earlier this week in Miami.
“Why aren’t the windows boarded up? I don’t understand how you take windows out of a historic property and not cover the openings up,” said HEPB member Robert Powers.
The issue of open windows wasn’t addressed during the county briefing on Wednesday.
“This board shouldn’t be powerless about that,” Powers added. “That is one of the most historic structures in the City of Miami and they are just handling this, like well, when the f*** we get around to it, maybe we’ll do something.”
The HEP board wondered Tuesday whether – at this late date – it had any authority over the county’s playhouse plan, which was approved by the Miami City Commission in 2019 over the board’s objections.
The short answer was no, but the board was told that answer could change if the county altered its demolition and restoration plan in a substantive way, either by choice or necessity.
Such a change – described as a “substantial deviation” – could require the county to resubmit its plans to the HEP board for review and approval.
County officials gave no indication on Wednesday that its demolition and restoration plans might change. To the contrary, county officials promoted their vision for the playhouse, saying the completed project will bring live theater back to Coconut Grove in a way that preserves key portions of the playhouse and honors its legacy.
Under the county plan, the playhouse’s rear auditorium will be demolished and replaced with a modern 300-seat theater, to be operated by GableStage in partnership with Florida International University.
The front portion of the playhouse – the historic three-story building that anchors Main Highway and Charles Avenue – will be restored, a new 300-space garage will be built beside the playhouse, and all three buildings (the original playhouse, the new theater and the garage) will be linked with pedestrian walkways and plazas.
Critics have denounced the county’s plan to add ground-floor shops and offices to the mix, saying the addition of commercial space will turn the playhouse into a retail mall, but the county’s Cultural Affairs director pushed back against that notion.
“There is no mall planned for this project. Instead, what we’re doing is restoring the historic front building” with storefronts that existed in 1927, Leslie said. “There is no large-scale commercial retail space that is being planned.”
County officials promised to provide a link to Wednesday’s virtual briefing, for those who missed the presentation. The Spotlight will share that link when it becomes available.
Not everyone was happy with the briefing, however. Kendall resident Michael Rosenberg said he asked the county in advance to provide an updated cost estimate for the project. When his question went unanswered, he raised his hand during the presentation.
“I raised my hand and it remained raised during the entire meeting,” he told the Spotlight on Thursday. “Sixteen hours later, my hand is still up. I guess I’ll put it down.”
At the end of the briefing, county officials invited the public to submit any questions they have about the playhouse project to [email protected].
The County presentation was full of misrepresentations, as they denied the development will have commercial and retail space which it does in violation of the county bond that voters approved to restore the playhouse and failed to answer any of the questions submitted by any of the Save the Grove activists some who are plaintiffs in the current lawsuit . Fairness dictates their statements be included in this article. The County’s careless disregard for protecting the historic building shocks the conscience of all who respect the historic asset that must be preserved. The contractor must be replaced with a more competent one.
with a bit more planning we could have turned this whole spectacle into a reality TV show. I am by no means qualified to comment on the integrity of those spearheading the efforts to restore the playhouse. there is a lot of finger pointing, a good dose of suspicion, and a soupçon of conspiracy theory for just the right kick that every Miami City Hall recipe seems to require. of course getting to the bottom of all of this is a task that even The New York Times would find vexing so kudos to the Spotlight (again) for presenting us with the umpteenth brick wall of silence from those whose salaries we as taxpayers are responsible for. how about an answer to the question: who knocked down the supporting wall, and why?
The STOP ORDER must remain in place. The State must take the project from the incompetent Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Raquel Regalado and the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs immediately. The local, state and nationally historically designated exterior of the building is still there and can be fully restored!
Historically designated Charles Avenue, Miami’s very first mixed-use corridor founded by Bahamian pioneers and craftsmen, is NOT and should NOT ever be a service corridor!!! 😡
Thank you to the Coconut Grove Spotlight for your thorough coverage of the Playhouse issue.
As a resident and preservation advocate, I remain deeply concerned about the lack of public transparency surrounding this project. Many questions submitted in advance—including mine—were not addressed during the meeting. The format did not allow for public comment, limiting civic engagement at a critical moment for the Grove’s cultural legacy.
Why did demolition begin without proper shoring, as required by Florida Building Code B110.7? Why were the windows removed and left uncovered prior to the collapse—and once the building is stabilized, will the open windows and wall openings finally be secured? When will the public have access to the final development plan and full cost details?
This publicly owned, civic-zoned site deserves careful stewardship and full public accountability. I urge City and County officials to respond in writing to the unanswered questions and to hold a meeting where residents can speak directly and openly.
Marlene Erven
It was difficult to watch our elected officials, and city and county employees being so joyful and celebratory as they talked about the destruction of the Coconut Grove Playhouse at the one sided town hall meeting the other day. As an animal activist that has experienced the results of animal cruelty, I’m now watching a different kind of cruelty, a cruelty to our heritage, culture, and a cruelty towards honoring the voters that clearly stated they wanted to add to performance capabilities of the Playhouse. “Add,” was the word on the ballot. A theater going from 1,000 seats to 300 seats does not add. Our elected officials should have been fighting for what 450,000 people (67% of the voters) voted for. Instead, they fight against us.
Now we see the project that the voters did not want… is going to cost well beyond the $20 million dollars that was the original bond money voted on in 2004? Adjusted for 2025 dollars the cost will be over $55 million dollars! Perhaps hitting $60-$70 million dollars before it’s through! Who is paying for that!? Mayor Cava said the County is short $400 million dollars this budget year. Where is this extra money going to come from?
Let’s say the Tooth Fairy writes a check for $50 million dollars. We were told that the bids for building this new,….what the voters don’t want entity…… will go out in January of 2026. It will take at least six months to get that all sorted out. Yet, we are to believe this new Regalado Theater will open in 2027. No way! Want to bet?!
The sad part, when and if it does open, (and please do not forget this) it is NOT what we voted for. No one ever imagined in 1927, when the theater was built, that this iconic, beautiful, amazing, historic place would end up in something called District Seven so many decades later. No one would have imagined that the Commissioner of that District Seven in the future would have the final say if the Playhouse would live or die. That person would have the final say.
Unfortunately, the commissioner of the district, Raquel Regalado, chose death, and we are watching piece by piece as the Coconut Grove Playhouse crumbles to the ground.
So, what can we do? Please call 305 375 5680 and ask Commissioner Regalado to restore the Playhouse not demolish it. Ask her to honor the voters. Remind her she works for the voters and the people who elected her. Most importantly….do it today before it’s too late!
I attended the “public meeting” and submitted the below questions in advance. But it was not a public meeting at all. It was an oligarchical lovefest for the organizers during which they all just patted themselves on the back and gave each other compliments, while completely ignoring the questions of the taxpayers who are funding the project and for whom the meeting was called for in the first place.
1. Did the residents of the Little Bahamas approve the use of the main entrance to historically designated Charles Avenue — Miami’s very first main street founded by Bahamian pioneers and craftsman— as a service road entrance for deliveries and garbage trucks?
2. Who are the development partners on this project? What specific role does each development partner play in the proposed redevelopment?
3. What are you doing to ensure that the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties are being adhered to? Who is responsible for enforcement?
4. What are you doing to ensure that the City’s own preservation code, Chapter 23, is being adhered to? Who is responsible for enforcement?
5. Will there be an independent 3rd-party assessment of the recent collapse? If not, why?
6. On what legal basis did the City administratively approve demolition without HEPB review? Who authorized it?
7. Has HEPB approved the final design and plans as required by HEPB Resolution HEPB-R-17-023? If so, when?
8. Has the City approved commercial uses, including alcohol sales, on this civic-zoned public property? If so, under what legal authority?
9. Why hasn’t the State-required Section 267 review been completed as required by law before demolition of this historic state-owned property? Who specifically is responsible for this?
10. Why has Miami-Dade County not responded to the many public records requests for the new Playhouse project drawings? When will those plans be made available for public review?
11. How many seats are planned for the new auditorium? How many seats are planned for the new practice room?
How can two Commissioners and a Mayor have so much power over what the majority of their constituents really want and how can Demolition of 80% of a Historically designated theater (thus replacing it with a significantly smaller and unrelated shopping mall theater) lead to Restoration?
The “Critics” are Correct!
The County Plan to “Return Theater to the Grove” is a twisted play on words and has been WRONG from the start and will definitely lead to its loss.
The Politicians are Steamrolling the citizens and not allowing us (who voted them in) to air what is blatantly wrong and illegal about the demolition and the entire project. Commissioner Regalado chickened out in facing her constituents at City Hall with a fake, phony Zoom meeting where our questions for the most part were not answered and re-coiffed to their advantage with no chance of rebuttal from the voters who put her [Commissioner Regalado, Commissioner Pardo and Mayor Cava] in office in the first place. Face us Regalado, Cava and Pardo at City Hall (sans Zoom) where you will see for real that the majority of your voters have [finally] woken up to the truth about what’s really going on behind the scenes, starting with the illegalities surrounding the demo (permit or no permit).
And what an insult to the Historically designated Charles Ave to have the Service entrance on their street. Regalado said the trucks would use Main Highway instead. REALLY?
And stripping the name of the World renowned (throughout New York, London & Miami) “Coconut Grove Playhouse” and changing it to Grove Stage is the saddest blow to preserving anything “Historical” about the site.
And last but not least, there is another plan that truly brings theater[s] back to the Grove and in a meaningful, cultural & cost productive way. The Mike Eidson / Richard Heisenbottle two theater plan is the basis for a plethora of solutions that can truly benefit the entire Coconut Grove Community which in turn benefits the shops, restaurants, neighborhood and current businesses that unite the Grove. There is a place for a smaller theatre but, not by itself, disconnected from the Main entrance and surrounded by unrelated retail and Commercial ventures.
After reading the recent county briefing on the Coconut Grove Playhouse, it’s painfully clear that Miami-Dade County’s handling of this historic site has been a failure from start to finish.
First, the so-called “restoration” project was already compromised when construction workers removed a load-bearing wall, causing a partial third-floor collapse and weakening the roof and exterior walls. This wasn’t an accident; it was a reckless blunder that put a 99-year-old landmark at risk of total collapse. Yet county officials act as if all is fine, ignoring valid safety concerns and the resulting stop work order by the City of Miami.
County leaders insist all permits and approvals are in place, but critics rightly question the legality of the demolition phase and point out that important preservation reviews have been sidestepped or ignored. The City’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board remains powerless, despite their urgent concerns about issues like open windows during heavy rains — a basic protection any historic property deserves.
The plan to demolish the historic rear auditorium and replace it with a modern 300-seat theater operated by GableStage sounds like a convenient way to erase critical parts of the playhouse’s legacy under the guise of progress. Adding commercial retail and office space around this sacred cultural site only risks turning it into a retail mall — despite official claims otherwise.
Worse, the decision to allow service entrances and truck traffic on Charles Avenue completely disrespects the history of Miami’s first main street, founded by Bahamian pioneers. The county’s assurances that trucks will use Main Highway instead feel disingenuous at best.
At every turn, the county seems more focused on pushing a questionable vision through than on preserving the historical integrity and community heritage of the Coconut Grove Playhouse. The public deserves transparency, proper preservation standards, and real respect for this irreplaceable landmark — not spin, safety risks, or broken promises.
Until county officials address these serious concerns openly and honestly, the future of the Coconut Grove Playhouse remains at best uncertain, and at worst, a tragic loss for Miami’s cultural history.
TO SAVE OR NOT TO SAVE. A Play in One Act.
The Players: The Citizens, The County, The City, The State.
Citizens, watching as the Playhouse is demolished: “Why are you doing this? We voted $20 Million to restore the Playhouse, not to demolish 80% of it.”
County: “Who are you to question us? You are mere peasants! We decide and you accept. Capisce?”
Citizens: “That may be, but our Playhouse is in the City of Miami. Our Code says you are guilty of ‘Demolition by Neglect.’ Our City will stop you.”
City: “’Fraid not. Only 12% of you peasants even bother to vote. The Magic City cannot afford to take on the Mighty County over something so pitiful as just one abandoned building. Besides, it’s prime real estate for development!”
Citizens: “But that abandoned building is on the National Historic Register! The City’s own Historic Preservation Board has asked to have another look at what’s actually planned. State law requires that.”
State: “True. But we’re up here in Tallahassee. This is a local issue, and you know we are reluctant to get involved with anything ‘down there.’ The politics are too crazy!”
Citizens: “But surely somebody can force a review so we’re sure we have the very best plan to serve all Citizens of the City, the County and the State? Once our Playhouse is gone, it’s gone forever.”
County: “Ha Ha Ha! Somebody has to make me! Ha Ha Ha!”
FINIS