Miami-Dade mayor moves to block future $5 million payout to foundation under scrutiny

Miami-Dade's mayor said Wednesday she'll block a planned $250,000 yearly payment to a nonprofit that's been the subject of scrutiny in recent days over its ability to secure state and county funds without a philanthropic track record.

A Parks Department contract recently approved by county commissioners required a vendor to pay the A3 Foundation $250,000 a year. In a letter to the contractor, Mayor Daniella Levine Cava wrote that she won't be authorizing the planned annual payout required under the agreement.

Recent articles by the Miami Herald reported that A3 is a two-year-old charity headquartered in a West Miami townhouse and run by a top official in the city of Miami with no public record of charitable work.

A 20-year contract that Levine Cava had recommended to commissioners just last week required the charitable payouts from Loud and Live, a production company that will pay Miami-Dade to run ticketed events at Tropical Park's equestrian center, the former home to Santa's Enchanted Forest. The payouts Loud and Live was required to make would have totaled $5 million over the course of the 20-year contract.

The contract allowed the County Commission to select the charity, and Chair Anthony Rodriguez selected A3, a nonprofit that has already received nearly $1 million in county funds connected to the CountryFest rodeo that Rodriguez hosts each year at Tropical Park.