Miami-Dade鈥檚 School Board authorized its attorneys to file a lawsuit against the company that manages SA国际传谋, the public radio and television stations for which the board holds the broadcasting license.
The school board is alleging that South Florida Public Media Group (formerly Friends of SA国际传谋), the management company of SA国际传谋, violated its contract with the district when it moved to acquire a new radio station in West Palm Beach that it plans to convert into a public radio station.
The item to authorize the lawsuit was proposed by district staff and passed on consent in Wednesday鈥檚 school board meeting, meaning all board members voted unanimously in favor of the item.
The Miami Herald is a news partner with SA国际传谋.
On June 6, the South Florida Public Media Group announced plans to purchase The Flame 104.7, an FM radio station in West Palm Beach, for $6.45 million and operate it as a public radio station. The group filed a petition with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which regulates radio stations, for approval.
But on July 22, the school board petitioned the FCC to block the acquisition.
SA国际传谋 said in a statement that the reason for acquiring the station in Palm Beach is that it will 鈥渂ring vital news and information to an unduplicated audience of more than 800,000 residents 鈥� many of whom are currently unserved by robust public media coverage.鈥�
The new station will provide local journalism for an area that hasn鈥檛 had its own public radio affiliate for over a decade and currently broadcasts SA国际传谋 content via a low frequency translator station at 101.9 FM.
The board argues that using funds to purchase a separate station violates their contract, and the agenda item presented by staff says the district has been harmed by the management company鈥檚 actions.
In the complaint, filed on Wednesday after the unanimous vote, the school district wrote that the company that manages SA国际传谋 should 鈥渞eturn the millions of dollars it has wrongfully diverted, honor its contractual obligations, fiduciary duties, and legal commitments, and not divert any more funds or misuse SA国际传谋鈥檚 donor lists.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 about due diligence and making sure public dollars are used correctly,鈥� said school board member Roberto Alonso on Wednesday morning before the meeting.
He said the Office of the General Counsel notified him they would be filing the suit and that he supports any attempt to ensure dollars are being used properly.
South Florida Public Media Group said in a statement to the Miami Herald that they were unaware the item would be raised at Wednesday鈥檚 meeting. It was added to the agenda that morning.
The management company added that it has and will continue to communicate with the board regarding its concerns, although it disagrees with the board鈥檚 assertions.
South Florida Public Media Group has been operating SA国际传谋 since 2022, when it won the contract after a years-long bidding process to manage the station.
The agreement put an end to years of tension between the station and the school district.
Following the unanimous vote in favor of the lawsuit on behalf of the school board, the district said in a statement, 鈥淢iami-Dade County Public Schools is focused on protecting a vital community asset. We hope South Florida Public Media Group will prioritize the resources for SA国际传谋 and our community.鈥�
