Flo Rida is scheduled to headline the 28th annual Jersey Mike’s Subs Best Buddies Miami Gala on November 14 at Mana Wynwood, closing a weekend of fundraising activities designed to support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The gala and its associated cycling event are projected to raise a combined $5 million. That target places the entertainment booking within a broader program of giving: proceeds are intended to support employment, friendship, leadership, inclusive-living and family-support initiatives. The event’s format also includes a silent auction, a fundraising competition and a formal dinner before the late-night musical performance.
For the Miami rapper, the appearance is a return engagement rather than a first-time stop. He performed at the organization’s 2018 Miami gala, an evening attended by nearly 700 guests that raised $2.8 million. This year, Mana Wynwood has capacity for 850 guests, while individual tickets are no longer available. Supporters can still pursue sponsorship and donation options through the event’s listed channels.
A fundraising weekend rather than a one-night show
The November 14 gala is the centerpiece of a multiday schedule. The weekend begins Friday with the inaugural Best Buddies Golf Classic at Turnberry Isle. On Saturday morning, a cycling challenge will send a limited field of 55 riders on either a 75-mile or 100-mile route. Professional cyclist Chris Froome is among those expected to participate.
That structure matters because the stated $5 million projection covers the gala and the cycling event together, not simply the concert or auction. In practical terms, the headline set helps make the gala an event with a major entertainment draw, while endurance participants, donors, sponsors and auction bidders contribute through separate fundraising routes.
A silent auction is an auction in which attendees place bids without a live auctioneer calling the action. The listed selection includes vacations, artwork and sporting experiences. Such offerings create a second form of participation for guests: a bidder can support the fundraiser while receiving an item or experience if their bid wins. It is distinct from a donation, though both can contribute to the overall financial objective.
The evening itself begins with cocktails and the silent auction at 7 p.m., followed by dinner at 8:30 p.m. Organizers plan to announce the Champion of the Year at 9:30 p.m. Flo Rida is scheduled for a 10:30 p.m. performance, with the program ending at 11 p.m.
What the $5 million goal is intended to support
Best Buddies’ stated program areas cover several parts of everyday community participation. Employment programs focus on work opportunities. Friendship initiatives address social connection. Leadership training aims to develop participant skills and visibility, while inclusive living and family support concern home life and the people who support individuals day to day.
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The breadth of those categories is important context for the fundraising goal. It means the event is not framed around one single service or one narrowly defined outcome. Instead, its announced purpose spans relationships, work, leadership and family support. A large gala can look, from the outside, like a celebrity performance and a black-tie social calendar entry; the underlying case for donations is much wider.
Anthony K. Shriver, founder of Best Buddies, tied the Miami event to the organization’s long-running community work, saying the gathering has brought people together for nearly three decades to create meaningful opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
“For nearly three decades, this event has brought our community together to create meaningful opportunities for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
The 28th annual edition gives that description numerical context. This is an established event with continuity in the city, not a newly created celebrity fundraiser. Flo Rida’s scheduled return likewise provides a direct link to the 2018 gala, where the organization recorded the nearly 700-person attendance and $2.8 million raised.
The Champion of the Year competition, explained
One portion of the night turns fundraising into a paired competition. The Champion of the Year program matches community leaders with Best Buddies participants. The duo that raises the most receives the title.
This is more than an awards announcement inserted into the dinner schedule. By pairing a community leader and a participant, the competition makes the fundraising effort collaborative rather than solely donor-facing. The designation of a “top fundraising duo” also makes the criterion clear: the title is based on funds raised, not on the stage show, auction purchases alone or a judging panel’s performance assessment.
In a weekend with golf, cycling, an auction and a concert, the competition illustrates how fundraising events often create multiple lanes for involvement. Some participants take on physical challenges, some bid, some sponsor, and some build campaigns through community partnerships. The gala gathers those strands into one high-profile evening.
Why the headliner still matters
A headlining performance does not change the mission, but it can focus attention on it. Flo Rida’s 10:30 p.m. slot is the scheduled capstone after the dinner and Champion of the Year reveal, giving the program a clearly defined entertainment finale. His prior appearance also gives organizers an existing connection to the event rather than an entirely new collaboration.
His broader South Florida ties extend beyond music. He became an equity partner in Beyond Juicery + Eatery during the company’s planned expansion into the region. That business involvement does not alter the gala’s charitable purpose, but it adds local context to an artist appearing at a Miami benefit.
Celebrity performances have become a familiar feature of high-profile cultural and sporting events, as shown by other recently scheduled pregame and halftime music appearances. The distinction here is that Flo Rida’s set arrives after a day and weekend explicitly organized around charitable participation, with a stated combined fundraising goal and named beneficiary programs.
Key details for supporters and attendees
- Event: 28th annual Jersey Mike’s Subs Best Buddies Miami Gala
- Date and venue: November 14 at Mana Wynwood in Miami
- Fundraising projection: $5 million combined from the gala and companion cycling event
- Gala capacity: 850 guests
- Evening schedule: cocktails and silent auction at 7 p.m.; dinner at 8:30 p.m.; Champion of the Year announcement at 9:30 p.m.; Flo Rida at 10:30 p.m.; conclusion at 11 p.m.
- Auction offerings: vacations, artwork and sporting experiences
- Ticket status: individual tickets are no longer available; sponsorship and donation paths remain listed
- Companion events: golf on Friday at Turnberry Isle, plus Saturday cycling routes of 75 or 100 miles for 55 riders
The schedule makes clear that the Flo Rida performance is one part of the appeal, not the sole mechanism of the campaign. The auction, Champion of the Year competition, golf outing and ride all give the weekend a different way to generate support. For those unable to attend the sold-out gala as individual ticket buyers, sponsorship and direct donation options are the relevant routes identified for contributing to the programs the event is designed to fund.
With the event’s prior Miami edition having raised $2.8 million in 2018 and the current combined goal set at $5 million, this year’s weekend carries a higher stated financial ambition. Whether that target is met will depend on the total activity around the gala and cycling event, including donations, sponsorships, campaigns and bids—not simply the size of the room when the headliner takes the stage.
