Jesse Scheckner
A multimillion-dollar expansion of the Bay of Pigs Museum and Library in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood has been cleared to receive another $1 million from the state.
Lawmakers this week agreed to the earmark after being at odds on the apportionment for more than a month.
The Senate ultimately agreed to the House’s original offer of $1 million for the project — the same sum Doral Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez and Hialeah Rep. Alex Rizo sought this year through similar, but not identical, appropriation requests.
The state funds will receive a local match Rodriguez’s request placed at $1 million, along with a $500,000 contribution from at least one “other,” private source. Rizo’s request, meanwhile, said the local contribution would be $2.1 million, with no other funding sources.
State lawmakers also set aside $1 million for the project last year.
The funding will go toward establishing a “modern, secure facility dedicated to preserving and protecting the legacy of the brave men of Brigade 2506 and safeguarding the invaluable artifacts of the Bay of Pigs invasion,” Rodriguez’s request said.
“This new state-of-the-art building will serve as a cornerstone for the community, offering enhanced opportunities for education, employment, and cultural engagement. … By creating an iconic, permanent space in Historic Little Havana, the museum aims to honor the veterans’ sacrifices while becoming a significant cultural and historical attraction, further contributing to the vibrancy and economic growth of the neighborhood.”
The Bay of Pigs Invasion was a failed military operation in April 1961, in which Cuban exiles, backed by the U.S. government, attempted to overthrow Fidel Castro’s communist regime in Cuba. The plan, developed under President Dwight D. Eisenhower and executed shortly after John F. Kennedy took office, aimed to use approximately 1,400 CIA-trained Cuban exiles (Brigade 2506) to land at the Bay of Pigs on Cuba’s southern coast, incite an uprising, and topple Castro.
But the operation was poorly executed. The exiles faced strong resistance from Cuban armed forces, and hoped-for popular support from the Cuban people did not materialize. U.S. air support was limited due to political concerns, and the attackers quickly became overwhelmed. After three days of fighting, over 100 were killed and more than 1,100 were captured.
The invasion was a major embarrassment for the U.S. and Kennedy, strengthening Castro’s position in Cuba and pushing him closer to the Soviet Union. This failure contributed to the heightened tensions of the Cold War and played a role in the events leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.
Despite its failure, the invasion remains a symbol of Cold War conflict and Cuban exile resistance.
Construction of the expanded museum broke ground last June, with many local leaders participating, including Rodriguez, Rizo, U.S. Rep. Carlos Gíménez, U.S. Ambassador Kevin Cabrera (then a Miami-Dade Commissioner), Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, Miami-Dade Clerk Juan Fernandez-Barquin, Miami-Dade Supervisor of Elections Alina Garcia, Miami-Dade Commissioners Rob Gonzalez and Eileen Higgins, and Miami Mayor Joe Carollo.
The facility will span 11,000 square feet once completed. Project documents say it will support education, cultural engagement and tourism. That includes training for more than 100 Miami-Dade County teachers twice a year, providing “physical and digital artifacts for public consumption,” and supporting a new course for Florida International University, Rizo’s request said.
It will also feature conference space for various uses. Rodriguez’s request said the museum today receives more than 5,000 visitors a year.
“We expect this number to triple after the new location is opened and we reap the benefits of the last two years of community outreach and stronger social media presence,” the request said. “It is expected that the new museum will attract more tourism to the Historic Little Havana sector becoming a valuable tourist attraction for Miami-Dade County.”
The state’s $1 million contribution will go toward completing the final construction phase of the building, including interior finishes, furnishing and installation of audio/visual displays.
Rafael Montalvo, President of the Brigade 2506 Veterans Association, told Miami Today in February that surviving veterans of the conflict have long looked forward to seeing the museum grow.
“This has been a dream of ours for many years,” he told the outlet. “It has been very hard to get it going for many reasons.”
Yuleisy Mena, the museum’s Executive Director, requested the state funds.
The original Bay of Pigs Museum, also known as the Brigade 2506 Museum and Library, was inaugurated on April 17, 1986, at 1821 SW 9th St. in Miami. It relocated to a temporary site at 1338 SW 8th St. in January 2024.
