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Committee weighs hiring former NFL player as fall festival speaker, tables decision
Summary
Organizers proposed hiring former NFL player Major Wright to speak about mental health but tabled the decision after members said his fee (reduced offer $1,500 from $5,000) would likely consume most festival revenue without additional sponsorships.
The Miami Lakes Mental Health Task Force discussed booking former NFL player Major Wright as a headline speaker for the town's fall festival but tabled a final decision until sponsorships and budget details are firmed up. Lindsay Motta, who led outreach to the speaker, said, "So he normally charges 5,000, and he said he could go down to 1,500." The committee agreed to revisit the item in August after sponsors and vendor quotes are confirmed.
Members voiced concern that a paid celebrity appearance would not match the festival's typical audience attention patterns and could consume most event proceeds. One committee member noted past events drew crowds focused on activities (pumpkin patch, face painting, food trucks) rather than speakers, and urged prioritizing school performers and family-oriented programming that reliably bring parents and relatives to the event. The committee voted to table the speaker hire and requested a sponsorship and budget update for the next meeting.
