Dear Colleagues,

Mayor Gimenez announced his FY 2015-2016 budget recommendations yesterday.  I am pleased to report that the Mayor has recommended sufficient revenues for us to continue to conduct our competitive grants programs at current year’s overall funding levels.

It also is important to note that the Mayor’s recommendations for the coming year must be reviewed and acted upon by the Board of County Commissioners.

Here are highlights of the next steps:

North Carolina Presenters Consortium is accepting applications from tour-ready performing artists for ArtsMarket 2015! #ArtsMarket2015, taking place November 2-4, 2015 in Durham, NC offers up to 40 artists of all genres a unique opportunity to showcase their talents, secure bookings and tour their show throughout North Carolina and surrounding areas. 

Deadline to apply is July 1, 2015, 5pm EDT

Showcase Info & Application: https://iwanttoshowcase.ca/artsmarket-2015/

At its April 21, 2015 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously approved two key items as recommended by Mayor Carlos Gimenez to move ahead with work on restoring great theater to the Coconut Grove Playhouse:

The Board of County Commissioners is scheduled to consider the two important items related to the Coconut Grove Playhouse on Tuesday, April 21. Meeting begins at 9:30 am and will be held in the County Commission Chamber located on the 2nd floor of the Stephen P. Clark Center, 111 NW 1st Street(take the escalator in the middle of the lobby).

The two agenda items were heard in last month’s committee meeting and forwarded to the County Commission with a favorable recommendation:

Great News! The Next Step Taken to Return Great Theater to the Coconut Grove Playhouse

The County Commission’s Economic Prosperity Committee is scheduled to address three items related to the future of the Coconut Grove Playhouse.

Thursday, March 12 at 2:00 PM in the County Commission Chamber

Stephen P. Clark Government Center, 111 N.W. 1^st Street, 2^nd Floor, Miami, FL 33128

As we have explained publicly for the past several months, we have been unable to respond to Coconut Grove Playhouse inquiries in detail due to Miami-Dade County’s “Cone of Silence” rules which apply to all County competitive selection processes, prohibiting any communication regarding a particular bid solicitation after it has been advertised and until a written recommendation is issued.  The Cone of Silence is designed to protect the professional integrity of the procurement process by shielding it from undue influences prior to the recommendation of a contract award.  The Cone of Silence