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Residents urge redirecting special‑event funds to parks after council approves Fourth‑of‑July spending
Summary
After approving purchase orders totaling tens of thousands of dollars for Fourth‑of‑July entertainment and festival services, the council faced public criticism that the city is prioritizing expensive events over basic park programs and pool repairs.
The Hialeah City Council approved several consent‑agenda items to fund Fourth‑of‑July entertainment and festival rentals — including a $32,640 purchase order to Live Coverage LLC for on‑site photo/video coverage, a $32,000 performance fee for the billed act at the Hialeah Food & Wine Festival, and a $55,500 purchase order for carnival rides and inflatables — drawing sharp public comment that the city was spending heavily on special events while several public pools and programs remain closed.
Longtime public commenter Jose Azzi told the council the city spends more on the July 4 celebration than any other city in South Florida and urged officials to reallocate some event funds to parks and recreation operations, pool repairs and free summer lunch programming. “We spend more money on the July 4 than any city in South Florida,” Azzi said. He alleged that seven pools exist in the city and “four are broken” and asked the council to use event funds to restore basic services.
Council members and the mayor responded that the special events department secures sponsorships and that sponsorship money reduces the net municipal expense for the holiday programs; staff said sponsors underwrite a significant portion of fireworks, production and lights. Council members also noted the technical complexity of large stage shows — including lighting and laser systems — and said outside vendors are often needed for that production work.
Despite the approvals, councilmembers agreed with public speakers that a fuller briefing from parks and recreation on pool status and program availability would be useful at a future meeting. At least one councilmember said they would request the parks director attend the next discussion so the council and public could review program schedules, pool closures and the potential to repurpose event funds for summer programming.
