Miami DDA’s newest board member Amal Solh Kabbani wears many hats in the community, and is an advocate for the arts.
photograph by Jesus Cabrera Photography
Reprinted from DOWNTOWN Magazine Summer 2024
It’s been a long journey since Amal Solh Kabbani grew up in Beirut, Lebanon. After leaving the country as a teen to flee a lengthy civil war, Kabbani first moved to New Jersey. She later relocated to Miami, Florida. Today, she still lives in Miami, working as an executive at PR Agency Publicis Groupe S.A., and has recently been named the newest board member to join Miami’s Downtown Development Authority. She is also the president of the Miami Downtown Alliance, and has worked with them for the past five years.
“The country was just coming out of the war and slowly rebuilding when an opportunity presented itself to immigrate to the United States and offered a better outlook for my new-born daughter and my family,” reflects Kabbani. “Miami was a move from New York/New Jersey about 12 years ago. I came down here kicking and screaming first, but then fell in love so hard and since have grown deep roots in the land and community.”
What does she love about it? “It’s all the best of Beirut during its heyday minus the four seasons. The people, the warmth, the culture, the love of family and neighbors, the traffic, the humidity, the good and the bad. Love it or leave it!”
As a Miami resident, Kabbani wears many hats. On the side, she’s been teaching yoga to members of the City of Miami Police Academy for the past four years. “I’m always in awe of seeing the number of people who are ready and willing to serve and protect. It’s a great honor and I appreciate the trust the city of Miami Police placed in me with this task!”
She’s also an opera fan, and the Florida non-profit program Young Patroness of the Opera is close to her heart. “Opera is the only art form that brings the “High Five” of the creative arts:music, drama, visual art, dance and the literary arts. It is in my opinion very important for this art form to thrive and be made accessible to all. It’s an outlet to express oneself and embodies the cultural and political stories of their era. Young Patronesses of the Opera is one of the most revered Florida based non-for-profit. It was founded almost 70 years with the mission to support FGO and bring opera education to the children of south Florida and has been (with the exception of the pandemic year) consistently bringing its in-school opera program to over 34 elementary schools. It was an honor to preside over this club and I am so committed to opera education and accessibility to all that I co-founded Magic City Opera with my partner Baritone Graham Fandrei.”
Says Kabbani of now being a part of the Miami DDA, “I am truly grateful to DDA Chair Commissioner Manolo Reyes for understanding the importance of having a resident that lives within the DDA borders being represented on its board and being able to bring to real life ideas that improve on urbanism, quality of life arts and culture. All these areas are of major interest to me as I look to see how initiatives, such as adding schools to our urban core, can better the life of young families and improve real estate values.”
With the worst of the pandemic behind, Kabbani is looking forward. “The people of Miami are very resilient. I am talking about the real locals, not the transient community.The pandemic only made us stronger, and we creatively managed to keep our spirits up and throughout and we now have outdoor seating for all restaurants who wish to expand on the sidewalk!” miamidda.com