The Historic Virginia Key Beach Park Trust faces another leadership shake-up after its board voted unanimously Oct. 8 to fire Executive Director Athalie Edwards amid a dispute over salary increases. Edwards had been on the job for three years.
The 5-0 decision followed allegations by Miami Commissioner Christine King, the trust’s chairwoman, that Edwards gave herself raises without King’s approval. King said a review of budgets from the three years Edwards had been in leadership revealed annual increases — $30,000 in the first year, $13,999 in the second and almost $10,000 in the third.
“That is concerning to me, and today I’m proposing her termination,” King said, recommending immediate dismissal with two weeks’ severance.
Athalie Edwards, former executive director and CEO of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust.
(Amelia Orjuela Da Silva for The Miami Times)
King also alleged that Edwards had not met milestones, although she did not identify specific benchmarks during the discussion. Edwards did not directly address the salary allegations in her brief response, instead directing communications to the attorney.
“It’s my understanding that both parties wanted to resolve this issue cordially, and I would recommend that any communication as it pertains to this matter is directed to retained counsel,” Edwards said.
Christine King, chair of the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust Board, speaks on the salary increases.
(City of Miami TV)
King declined an interview with The Miami Times. Attempts to reach Edwards for comment were unsuccessful.
At the center of the dispute were conflicting accounts of whether King had authorized the salary adjustments in question. King said Edwards maintained that the commissioner had approved them during a conversation between the two, an account King called “emphatically untrue.”
According to King, Edwards requested a higher salary when she was hired, but King declined, saying compensation could be revisited once milestones were met.
“Now let’s say for argument’s sake that I said in a year I would give her a $30,000 increase,” King said. “There was never a subsequent discussion, nor was that brought to any of the board members’ attention that I am aware of.”
King acknowledged the increases appeared in the budgets but argued they were presented in a way that left board members unaware. A public records request remained unfulfilled at the time of this publication.
“It is just egregious — $30,000 — and anybody that knows me knows I would never do this,” King said.
King emphasized that there was no written record supporting Edwards’ account.
“This is an example of why I do not meet with people without staff present. There’s nothing in writing to evidence that I said this. There is no email to say I agreed to this,” King said. “This is her word against mine. When someone calls me a liar, I will never back down.”
King said she involved the city attorney and sought Edwards’ resignation before bringing the dispute publicly to the board.
“I did not want to make this public, but she would not resign and accept the two-week severance that I offered,” she said.
Edwards’ departure comes four years after city commissioners voted 4-1 toreplace the trust’s governing board with commissioners and install King as chairwoman. Then-Commissioner Ken Russell cast the lone opposing vote.
The 2022 decision drew backlash from Black civic leaders, preservation advocates and former trustees who argued it weakened community representation. Supporters sought greater accountability and progress on the Black history museum long planned to be built on the beach; opponents cited years of obstacles and insufficient city support.
“This was a very tumultuous time,” King recalled during the Oct. 8 discussion. “The community was up in arms.”
Edwards joined the trust in 2023, pledging to advance the museum and preserve the park’s history. In a 2025 interview with The Miami Times, she said groundbreaking was expected later that year.
The museum advanced in January, when commissioners authorized negotiations on an agreement for the city to oversee construction and provide up to $17 million toward operational shortfalls over its first decade. The trust would manage daily operations after completion.
It remains unclear who will succeed Edwards as executive director.