Kelly Hayes
The House is insisting on providing $2.5 million to Tampa Bay’s Straz Center and Patel Conservatory, presented in its latest PreK-12 budget offer, despite exclusion from the Senate’s original budget.
The appropriation would be used for the conservatory’s master plan expansion, detailed in funding requests (SF 2161, HB 2463) filed by Sen. Danny Burgess and Rep. Jackie Toledo. The requests originally ask for $5 million, an amount halved by the Senate proposal.
The funding would be used to support the nonprofit’s master plan expansion that would create new indoor and outdoor spaces for growing programs and attendance, as well as increased economic impact, according to the requests.
The money would be used for “expanded and new indoor and outdoor event, education, and open public spaces for growing programs, student enrollment, event attendance, civic meetings and conferences; for increasing free, multi-accessible indoor and outdoor public programs and community gathering; and for creating new jobs and boosting the institution’s already significant annual economic impact,” the request reads.
The $5 million requested from the state would account for about 6% of the total budget for the project, which already has $46 million guaranteed by private donors, $27 million from local government and $2 million from federal dollars.
The expansion plan was started in 2008 with an assessment from Toppe Consultants, followed by an updated review in 2011. Then, in 2016, the center examined funding for the project and began master planning.
The expansion has support from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, the Tampa City Council, Hillsborough County leadership, and unanimous support of the Downtown Tampa Citizens Advisory Committee, according to the request. The conservatory itself is supported by more than 40 businesses represented on its board of trustees.
The accredited Patel Conservatory provides a wide range of highly accessible, on-site and community outreach arts education and training programs for students of all ages and interests, according to the requests.
It’s known as one of Florida’s leading cultural economic engines, this institution provides ticketed, subsidized and free world-class performing arts and arts education programs year-round.
