Florida International University plans to expand its main campus onto 64 of the 87 acres of Youth Fairgrounds. In order to do this, they will have to relocate the Youth Fair to a piece of land that is equal to or larger in size compared to its current location.
FIU plans to take the Youth fair grounds to build a business incubator, an expansion of medical research, 2,000 dormitory beds, and other academic functions, hoping to increase its student body population from 50,000 to 65,000. This expansion may take years, providing additional jobs and creating an economic impact of $541 million a year.
There’s only one problem: the fair doesn’t want to move and has about 75 years left in its Tamiami lease. The agreement mandates that if FIU ever evicts the fair then Miami-Dade is required to find replacement fairgrounds. So far, only four possible relocation sites have been found for the fairgrounds and two of them were rejected.
“We’re not going to look at any option that forces us to double or triple our operating expenses.” Robert Hohenstein, the president of the fair, said to the Miami Herald, doubting that they could afford high-end tents and pavilions commonly rented by art festivals and others who set up temporary events in Miami.
This would leave the fair to use temporary buildings and structures for their collectable shows, consumer expos, and banquets. These buildings and structures would then be removed once the four-week event ends every spring.
The fair dismissed this proposition in a letter to County Hall, calling it “unacceptable” because of several financial, legal, and operational reasons. It is estimated that it’ll cost the fair about $230 million to relocate. However, the majority of voters have already given FIU their support and approval of the relocation of the fair.
These possible sites to relocate the fair include: Sun Life Stadium, West Miami-Dade, Beacon Lakes, and Homestead. The fair quickly rejected Sun Life Stadium because they would not be able to have permanent buildings but would have temporary structures instead. Homestead was another rejected site that was considered too remote to gain attraction according to fair executives.
“It’s great for FIU but I feel bad for the Youth fair,” said Daniela Catala, a sophomore in Digital Arts. “It’s been in the same spot for years, it’s sad to see it move elsewhere.”
The fair is hoping to do something about the relocation of the fairgrounds by hiring a lobbyist to press their case and gain support from fair-goers. However. the Fair will be in its original location for the 2016 year. As for 2017, its location is uncertain.
