Tabla de Contenido/ Table of Contents
- 1 The Rodeo of Public Funds (Payment for CountryFest2025): When charity opens up questions about oversight. And it’s not a new phenomenon in Miami-dade.
- 1.1 Who leads A3 Foundation?
- 1.2 Institutional links
- 1.3 How is the project financed?
- 1.4 Who oversees public funds?
- 1.5 Can such a sum be given again to an administration facing public questions about budget deficits, use of waivers, accelerated contracts and insufficient controls over third-party allocations?
- 1.6 Citizens should ask themselves:
The Rodeo of Public Funds (Payment for CountryFest2025): When charity opens up questions about oversight. And it’s not a new phenomenon in Miami-dade.
In the midst of a severe budget deficit in excess of $400 million, Miami-Dade on July 16, 2025 approved contract EVN0001892 with Loud and Live Management Group, LLC to operate the Tropical Park Equestrian Center Complex for a 20-year term, with an additional 10-year option and projected revenue of $40,281,893 for the county.
The original resolution also selected A3 Foundation, Inc. as the nonprofit entity to receive an annual contribution of $250,000 from the provider, with a possible increase to $300,000 following improvements to the Ronald Reagan Equestrian Center. Following Miami Herald coverage and public scrutiny, the county filed an amendment to replace A3 with the Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, Inc. as the recipient of that contribution.
The connection is direct: Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez, chairman of the Commission and host of CountryFest, serves as a central political figure associated with the event and A3’s legislative record. His own legislative director is listed as the foundation’s contact on the bills. The combination of political sponsorship, selection of a young foundation, ties to public staff and flow of funds associated with the event creates an appearance of conflict that warrants review by the Commission on Ethics, the Clerk and Comptroller and/or the Inspector General.
Editorial Update – September 2025:
Subsequent to the original publication of this article, Miami-Dade processed a resolution to replace A3 Foundation, Inc. with Parks Foundation of Miami-Dade, Inc. as the designated organization to receive the annual contribution from contract EVN0001892. This update does not eliminate the questions raised by the original article about the initial selection process, procedural waivers, the role of political actors and prior oversight. On the contrary, it confirms that the file had to be corrected.
Who leads A3 Foundation?
The president of this foundation is Francisco Petrirena, currently chief of staff to Miami City Manager Art Noriega. According to statements reported by the Herald, Petrirena is its only employee and as of this year receives a salary of $80,000 per year. The foundation’s fiscal headquarters is registered in a private townhouse in West Miami, and as of the date of publication, it did not have a functional website or visible avenues of contact.
Institutional links
The A3 Foundation is directly related to CountryFest, an event hosted at Tropical Park and linked to Commissioner Anthony Rodriguez, current Chairman of the Board of Commissioners. It was he who introduced the legislation awarding the contract to Loud and Live, and The contract was the result of a competitive process, but the Board approved waivers to the 10-day award notice requirements and protest procedures, reducing the time available for challenge and prior public review. Additionally, its legislative director is listed as the foundation’s contact on several official documents.
The situation raises reasonable doubts about the ethical management of the legislative process. Although no party is directly accused of legal violations, the pattern observed – allocation of public resources without technical review, personal ties to beneficiaries, regulatory exemptions – calls for independent evaluation.
How is the project financed?
According to the application for funding documents reviewed by this media:
- $500,000 (80%) comes from the State of Florida.
- 125,000 (20%) comes from Miami-Dade County.
- $0 in private or federal funds.
- Total project (2025-2026): $625,000.
No matching funds from the private sector are reported, which reinforces the need to ensure transparency mechanisms on how these resources are used.
Who oversees public funds?
The official County memorandum approved by the Board on July 16, 2025, as item 14A5, after being added to the agenda on July 15, signed by County Attorney Geri Bonzon-Keenan, confirms that this legislation was exempt from committee review, as are many other high fiscal impact budget documents.
This practice, although procedurally valid, weakens institutional controls. In addition, the administration of Mayor Daniella Levine Cava has requested a record budget of $12.9 billion for fiscal year 2026, without having so far presented a detailed public audit of the current deficit or of expenditures such as the one earmarked for this foundation.
The questions that any citizen has the right to ask are in the voice of the people:
- What was the selection process for this contract?
- Who will oversee the use of these funds?
- Why is the pattern of contracts exempt from technical review repeating itself?
In times of budgetary restrictions, when cuts are announced in social programs and jobs are eliminated in sensitive areas, any deviation from the focus of transparency and oversight should concern us as a society. It is urgent that bodies such as the Florida Department of Management and Efficiency (DOGE) take a close look at these procedures.
Institutional silence cannot become the norm.
Can such a sum be given again to an administration facing public questions about budget deficits, use of waivers, accelerated contracts and insufficient controls over third-party allocations?
Can you “erase the debt” as if nothing happened, open new accounts and continue to reward those who have led the county through a severe budget deficit and fiscal constraints that forced the county to discuss cuts, rate increases and administrative adjustments.
All of this is occurring under a system where law enforcement is not rigorously enforced, oversight is notoriously flawed, and the pattern described projects a serious image of government captured by political relationships, opaque funds, and weakened controls. In this context, the Department of Management and Efficiency (DOGE) – Florida DOGE does not replace the Inspector General, the Clerk and Comptroller or the Commission on Ethics, but its mandate to review wasteful spending and inefficient practices in local governments makes it a possible additional venue for examining these types of patterns.
Citizens should ask themselves:
- Who approves these million-dollar contracts without review?
- Who benefits from this lack of control?
Because while the people pay more taxes, the county’s political elites continue to play by the rules to suit themselves. And that has to change. And worst of all, they don’t listen to the county residents’ cry in a conscientious way.
It is time to demand clear answers, full audits and real consequences. You cannot continue to govern as if the county were a private estate. Enough is enough. Recall everyone, new elections in Miami-Dade.
The substitution of A3 Foundation for Parks Foundation does not erase the central fact under investigation: the original resolution selected A3 Foundation as the recipient of a $250,000 annual contribution for the term of the contract. The public question remains why a young foundation, with limited documented track record, was initially selected on a long-term contract approved with waivers to the notice of award and protest procedure.
📄 Of ficial documents and reports:
- Full article: Miami Herald
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