FIU expansion means Miami-Dade County Fair would have to move

Fair held at Tamiami Park for 43 years

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – The future of the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition at Tamiami Park is in jeopardy.

County commissioners unanimously agreed Thursday to an expansion of Florida International University that would extend its campus onto the 86 acres of county-owned land used by the fairgrounds.

The youth fair has been held at the same site for 43 years.

FIU lobbied for and received $10 million in state funding this year to help pay for the fair's relocation, but the fair's president and chief executive officer said it doesn't come close to covering the cost of a move. Not only that, but no alternative site has been found.

"We need between 275 and 300 acres -- continuous acres -- and we need that accompanying infrastructure," CEO Bob Hohenstein told Local 10 News. "…We, in four years, have not found that site."

The fair's lease agreement with the county is through 2040. It assures that if the lease is broken early, the county would find a new site and pay for the move.


About the Author:

Liane Morejon is an Emmy-winning reporter who joined the Local 10 News family in January 2010. Born and raised in Coral Gables, Liane has a unique perspective on covering news in her own backyard.