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<\/p>\nCritics of the county\u2019s plan to revive the Coconut Grove Playhouse as a smaller theater with shops, restaurants, and parking are embracing a state lawmaker\u2019s effort to evict the county and award control of the project to a tiny island community in Biscayne Bay.<\/p>\n
Alleging \u201cfailed stewardship\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis bill is about state oversight of a failed stewardship arrangement,\u201d Basabe told the Spotlight. \u201cThe bill is explicit because the failure is explicit. A state-owned historic property (the playhouse) has been allowed to deteriorate and be irreversibly altered.\u201d<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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Don Finefrock<\/p>\n
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The Spotlight<\/p>\n
Construction work at the Playhouse continued Monday, as workers poured concrete around the exterior of the playhouse\u2019s 1926 fa\u00e7ade. The playhouse opened in January 1927 with a screening of D.W. Griffith\u2019s silent film \u201cSorrows of Satan.\u201d <\/p>\n
The county tore down the playhouse\u2019s rear auditorium last year and is now working to restore the front fa\u00e7ade 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.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: Legal battle continues to block restoration of Coconut Grove Playhouse<\/a><\/p>\n 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\u2019s opponents. The playhouse has been shuttered since 2006.<\/p>\n His latest salvo (House Bill 1559<\/a>) \u2013 coming at the start of the 2026 legislative session and first reported by the Miami Herald \u2013 drew cheers last week from the county\u2019s critics, despite questions about Bay Harbor Islands ability to shoulder the project.<\/p>\n \u201cI 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,\u201d said Andy Parrish, a local developer and a former member of the City of Miami\u2019s Planning, Zoning and Appeals Board.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a surprise,\u201d Max Pearl, a leader of the Save the Coconut Grove Playhouse<\/a> organization, added, noting Basabe\u2019s previous appearances at a playhouse rally and before the city\u2019s Historic and Environmental Preservation Board.<\/p>\n Pearl said he welcomed Basabe\u2019s bill as an opportunity for accountability.<\/p>\n \u201cThe primary point of the bill is to find out what the hell went wrong,\u201d Pearl said. \u201cIt is a spotlight to pinpoint all of the mistakes that, you know, have been documented.\u201d<\/p>\n 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<\/a> is unwilling or unable to take on the project.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Legislature retains full authority to amend the bill, but the problem it addresses is real and documented,\u201d Basabe said.<\/p>\n Miami-Dade County did not respond to a request for comment but, in previous court filings and public statements<\/a>, 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.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s legislation as \u201cPR stunt.\u201d<\/p>\n Because the 1926 playhouse is owned by the state \u2013 and because it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places \u2013 the county\u2019s playhouse project is subject to review by the state Division of Historical Resources (DHR).<\/p>\n Critics have assailed the county for years for not seeking a review by state officials. In a letter dated July 28, 2025<\/a>, however, state officials say they have reviewed the project, and they appear to accept the county\u2019s plan, although with reservations.<\/p>\n \u201cDHR considers the current project an adverse effect to this historic property, however, appropriate mitigation strategies are underway,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile 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,\u201d the letter states.<\/p>\n Asked about the apparent disconnect between his legislation and the position of state officials stated in the letter, Basabe gave this response:<\/p>\n \u201cThat 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.\u201d<\/p>\n The fate of Basabe\u2019s legislation in Tallahassee is an open question. The bill was filed on Jan. 9 and referred to a handful of House committees and subcommittees.<\/p>\n Don Finefrock<\/p>\n \/<\/p>\n The Spotlight<\/p>\n Construction workers used a concrete boom pump on Monday to place concrete around the exterior of the playhouse facade.<\/p>\n![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1768931770_993_.jpeg\"\/)
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