A Tallahassee Twist in the Never-Ending Playhouse Drama

A state legislator is seeking to evict Miami-Dade County from the Coconut Grove Playhouse property and hand control of the project instead to a tiny town of 6,000 residents in the middle of Biscayne Bay.

Critics of the county’s plan to revive the Coconut Grove Playhouse as a smaller theater with shops, restaurants, and parking are embracing a state lawmaker’s effort to evict the county and award control of the project to a tiny island community in Biscayne Bay.

Alleging “failed stewardship” by the county, State Rep. Fabian Basabe (R-106) has filed legislation in Tallahassee to transfer control of the state-owned property from Miami-Dade County to Bay Harbor Islands, a twin-island town of 6,000 people.

“This bill is about state oversight of a failed stewardship arrangement,” Basabe told the Spotlight. “The bill is explicit because the failure is explicit. A state-owned historic property (the playhouse) has been allowed to deteriorate and be irreversibly altered.”

Critics have tried for years to block the county from moving forward with its plan for the playhouse. That opposition has led to years of delay, but met with little success. 

The county tore down the playhouse’s rear auditorium last year and is now working to restore the front façade of the structure and build a modern 300-seat theater behind it, with parking and an open-air plaza lined with shops, offices and a restaurant. 

Basabe, whose district stretches from Miami Beach to Aventura but does not touch Coconut Grove, had previously urged state preservation officials to intervene on behalf of the county’s opponents. The playhouse has been shuttered since 2006.  

His latest salvo (House Bill 1559) – coming at the start of the 2026 legislative session and first reported by the Miami Herald – drew cheers last week from the county’s critics, despite questions about Bay Harbor Islands ability to shoulder the project.

“I think a transfer of control to almost any legitimate governmental or institutional entity other than the County would be a good thing since, in my opinion, the County has been both opaque, misleading, and a bad steward,” said Andy Parrish, a local developer and a former member of the City of Miami’s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board.

“This is not a surprise,” Max Pearl, a leader of the Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse organization, added, noting Basabe’s previous appearances at a playhouse rally and before the city’s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board. 

Pearl said he welcomed Basabe’s bill as an opportunity for accountability.

“The primary point of the bill is to find out what the hell went wrong,” Pearl said. “It is a spotlight to pinpoint all of the mistakes that, you know, have been documented.”

Basabe himself has framed the legislation as a push for accountability, and he suggested in an email to the Spotlight that control of the playhouse could be handed to a different entity, if Bay Harbor Islands is unwilling or unable to take on the project. 

“The Legislature retains full authority to amend the bill, but the problem it addresses is real and documented,” Basabe said.

Miami-Dade County did not respond to a request for comment but, in previous court filings and public statements, the county has presented itself as a careful steward of the playhouse, denied allegations of mismanagement, and insisted that its revival plan is not only sound, but popular among the public at large.

Miami-Dade Commissioner Raquel Regalado, who represents Coconut Grove, also did not respond to a request for comment. The Herald reported that she dismissed Basabe’s legislation as “PR stunt.”

Because the 1926 playhouse is owned by the state – and because it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places – the county’s playhouse project is subject to review by the state Division of Historical Resources (DHR). 

Critics have assailed the county for years for not seeking a review by state officials. In a letter dated July 28, 2025, however, state officials say they have reviewed the project, and they appear to accept the county’s plan, although with reservations.

“DHR considers the current project an adverse effect to this historic property, however, appropriate mitigation strategies are underway,” the letter states. 

The letter then goes on to recommend ways in which the county can proceed with the project while mitigating the adverse impacts to the property.

“While preservation is not the outcome here, mitigation of impacts is not unusual in reviews conducted under Chapter 267, Florida Statutes, and we recognize that there are positive results for this project. After many years of vacancy and condition issues, the property will be reactivated for its original use as a theater,” the letter states.

Asked about the apparent disconnect between his legislation and the position of state officials stated in the letter, Basabe gave this response:

“That letter does not say what it is often portrayed as saying. It expressly finds an adverse effect to a National Register property and acknowledges that preservation is not the outcome. Mitigation is discussed because the historic structure is already being destroyed. Oversight is ongoing precisely because the damage is irreversible.”

The fate of Basabe’s legislation in Tallahassee is an open question. The bill was filed on Jan. 9 and referred to a handful of House committees and subcommittees.

Attorney David Winker, who is suing the county to stop the project, said the legislation may not be as “far-fetched” as it might appear at first. 

“I’m not a Tallahassee guy, so I have no idea whether the Republicans (who control the state Legislature) will get behind this,” he said. 

But, he noted, County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava is a Democrat.

“There may be an opportunity to say, here’s more Democratic mismanagement.”

Like other critics of the county’s plan, Winker contends the county has violated the terms of its playhouse lease with the state. The county’s “massive mismanagement” of the project provides Tallahassee with a reason to intervene, he said.

“I have wondered all along why the state hasn’t gotten more involved,” Winker said.

If the state does act to evict the county, the future of the playhouse may turn on which entity – Bay Harbor Islands, another municipality, or the state perhaps – has the wherewithal to complete a project expected to cost $50 million or more in total.

“Who has the $50 million (needed) to do this?” Winker asked.

Pearl, one of the county’s most persistent critics, said he would like to see the auditorium rebuilt with a capacity to seat perhaps 600 or 700 people. “Something that is economically sustainable,” he said.

Asked if he thought Bay Harbor Islands had the wherewithal to take over the project and deliver a final product that critics could embrace, he said he did.

“I believe they do,” he said. “It’s a small entity. Miami-Dade County is almost too big. Because of its smaller size, maybe that would make it able to function better.”

Bay Harbor’s mayor and town council members did not respond Monday to a request for comment from the Spotlight.