rich 1.0 Action Network https://actionnetwork.org <link href='https://actionnetwork.org/css/style-embed-v3.css' rel='stylesheet' type='text/css' /><script src='https://actionnetwork.org/widgets/v6/petition/protect-the-arts-protect-our-culture-protect-miami-dade?format=js&source=widget'></script><div id='can-petition-area-protect-the-arts-protect-our-culture-protect-miami-dade' style='width: 100%'><!-- this div is the target for our HTML insertion --></div> Brittany Williams https://actionnetwork.org/users/brittany-williams-14/profile https://can2-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/petitions/photos/000/667/328/normal/IMG_0784.png Protect the Arts. Protect Miami-Dade. Miami-Dade County is on the brink of a cultural emergency. A proposed 50% cut to the Department of Cultural Affairs- coupled with a plan to merge it with the Library Department- would dismantle decades of progress and devastate our vibrant arts ecosystem. This proposal would strip cultural funding, eliminate expert leadership dedicated to the arts, and put hundreds of small and mid-sized arts organizations at risk. This isn’t just about budgets-it’s about lives, livelihoods, and the identity of our community. No Arts. No Miami- Dade. Without arts funding: Our neighborhoods lose murals that tell our stories. Our streets go silent without music and performance. Our youth lose creative outlets, and our elders lose cultural programs that connect them. The arts are not a luxury-they’re a lifeline. Miami-Dade’s cultural sector generates over $2.1 billion in economic impact, supports 32,000 local jobs, attracts 22 million people as cultural tourists, and supports over 1000 arts groups. Cutting this funding isn’t fiscal responsibility-it’s cultural abandonment. We call on Mayor Daniella Levine Cava and Miami-Dade County leadership to: Restore full funding to the Department of Cultural Affairs Maintain the Department of Cultural Affairs independence and experienced leadership Protect Miami’s arts and cultural infrastructure for current and future generations Miami’s creative community is not expendable. Our cultural identity, economic resilience, and social wellbeing depend on a strong, independent, and fully funded Department of Cultural Affairs. Stand with the arts. Stand with Miami-Dade. https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/protect-the-arts-protect-our-culture-protect-miami-dade