Miramar’s popular turkey giveaway could be cooked after commissioner flags issues
If a Miramar commissioner has his way, last Saturday’s Turkey Giveaway Drive-Thru at Regional Park will be the city’s final one.
Commissioner Maxwell B. Chambers used his closing moments at Monday’s City Commission meeting — the last one of the year — to express concerns over the annual holiday event and its hidden costs: strain and fatigue for staff who have to lift and load the heavy, frozen turkeys into vehicles, and the higher-than-expected cost of each turkey.
“Now let’s talk about the turkey giveaway at Regional Park. Please take note,” Chambers said at the end of the Nov. 17 commission meeting. “I hope we don’t have to do this again next year. We are overworking staff with these heavy turkeys and risking staff getting injured.”
It’s unclear if any city employee suffered an injury during the event.
The second issue, Chambers said, was the cost of the turkeys in the giveaway.
“Publix has turkeys for 59 cents a pound. It’s costing us more — about $2 more per turkey,” he said. An estimated 300 turkeys were handed out at the event.
Public records on the final cost of the turkeys have not yet been released. The city has occasionally partnered with outside vendors or sponsors for food distribution events, though the details of this year’s arrangement remain unclear.
“We need to pivot to a new way of doing it so we can save money and save our staff from being injured,” he said.
Chambers wants to offer $25 gift cards instead, “so folks can buy whatever they want.”
Attempts to reach Chambers on Nov. 18 for further comment were unsuccessful.
No other commissioners on the dais responded publicly to Chambers’ concens, and officials have not shared whether they will formally reconsider the structure of future holiday giveaways.
The city has hosted food distribution events at Miramar Regional Park for years, particularly during the pandemic, when demand for food surged.
The Turkey Giveaway Drive-Thru is one of the city’s best-attended annual events.
On Saturday, hundreds of residents lined up early in their vehicles to drive past by a tent where the turkeys and sides were placed inside their trunks. The city’s Facebook page posts shows volunteers staff and elected officials handing out turkeys while greeting families through car windows.
For politicians, events like the Turkey Giveaway Drive-Thru carry symbolic weight, offering an opportunity to connect with constituents, show community care and generate goodwill — all while performing a public service.
But Chambers argued the optics shouldn’t come at the expense of staff safety or city finances.
However, the turkey giveaways in Miramar are not over. Chambers himself is spearheading a turkey giveaway with Sunshine Gasoline Distributors on Thursday, Nov. 20, for the first 300 people to arrive at the Shell gas station on State Road 7.
This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 10:34 AM.
