Fringe leaders fight back against Gov. DeSantis’ arts funding cuts

Orlando Fringe performers.

The Orlando and Tampa Fringe Festivals are uniting to fight back against Gov. Ron DeSantis’ arts funding vetoes.

In an open letter to DeSantis, the Fringe’s leaders suggested sacrificing their portion of the state money as long as DeSantis restored funding for other arts organizations that missed out. They then invited the Governor to a show.

DeSantis wiped away the entire $32 million in line items for cultural funding that supported children’s theaters, operas, family science centers, performing arts venues, museums and other groups. Arts advocates called the vetoes an unprecedented move.

DeSantis zeroed in on the Fringe Festivals to explain why he cut the funding, calling it a “sexual festival.”

“How many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that? Not very many people would do that,” the Governor said at a press conference last month.

Chase Padgett, a fan-favorite Fringe performer, said DeSantis’ words “frankly says more about his mindset than the festival.”

Thursday’s press conference in Orlando fell on World Fringe Day.

“Our hope is that by our words today, folks will help build bridges and break down barriers,” said Scott Galbraith, Orlando Fringe’s Interim Executive Director.

Known as the largest and longest-running fringe festival in the United States, Orlando’s two-week event drew about 50,000 people this year. At the Fringe, people typically see one-hour shows with genres ranging from drama, comedy, musicals or burlesque.

The festival has a reputation of being LGBTQ+ friendly and ticket proceeds go directly to the artists who could be local or travel the fringe circuit around the world. A free children’s program coincides to introduce kids to the arts.

Advocates complaining about DeSantis’ vetoes argued that the arts are not just important to the community but are also major economic drivers.

“We are living in perilous times where a culture war is the flavor of the day, and art has become politicized and partisan,” said Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis, a Democrat from Ocoee. “Cutting arts funding is not just a financial decision, it is a cultural and economic misstep. It is an attack on the community that drive the economic engine that is Florida.”

Not all cultural organizations missed out in the state budget. There were some winners, as long as influential lawmakers pushed them through.

Sen. Linda Stewart and Rep. David Smith successfully sought $5 million for the Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center to build a new Orlando museum. The $5 million was called out as a budget turkey by the fiscal watchdog Florida TaxWatch.

Meanwhile, all the Orange County arts groups that went through the state’s official competitive cultural grant process and vetting lost $1.95 million from DeSantis’ cuts.