Recently, the county administration proposed consolidating and privatizing two of Miami-Dade’s most prized cultural centers: Vizcaya Palace and Gardens and the Miami Museum of Science. This proposal is clearly premature when framed by the historical needs and value of these two facilities.
James Deering built the 180-acre Villa Vizcaya in Coconut Grove in the 1920s. Thirty years later, following Deering’s death and years of disrepair, Miami-Dade County purchased the villa and remaining 50 acres of land for $1 million.



