Voters approved a referendum that sends a clear message that they want more and better educational opportunities for our community. They have given FIU a mandate.

“The voters have spoken and they have said ‘Yes’ to FIU,” said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. “We are thankful for the support of Miami-Dade voters, including FIU students, alumni, faculty, staff and the entire FIU family. We also would like to thank the county commission and Mayor Carlos Gimenez and his staff for their hard work and the vision they have shown for the future of FIU and Miami-Dade County.”

The referendum provides that FIU may expand onto 64 acres in Tamiami Park that are currently occupied by the Miami-Dade County Fair and Exposition. The referendum asked whether to amend the county charter to exempt FIU from the public park purposes use restrictions and construction limitations in Article 7 of the charter. The exemption is currently in place for the Fair.

FIU will continue to work with Miami-Dade County and the Fair to find a suitable location to relocate the Fair. As specified in the ballot question, no county money will be used for the expansion. FIU leaders will work with state officials to identify funds to finance the expansion.

“We look forward to continuing to work with county and Fair officials to find a win-win-win solution,” Rosenberg said.

The expansion is expected to bring an initial economic impact of $1.8 billion and an additional annual recurring economic impact of $541 million to South Florida, above the $8.9 billion FIU already provides.

Possible uses for the land are: academic space, including the College of Engineering and Computing; research space; academic health center space; an incubator to support entrepreneurship; student housing and other support space.

For more information on Expand FIU, please visit expand.fiu.edu.