Janelle Irwin Taylor
The Florida Cultural Alliance is calling on state lawmakers to ensure adequate funding for arts programming, with support for the Senate budget proposal over the House funding plan.
In an update to members and supporters, the group outlines more than $18.3 million in the proposed Senate budget for “all 184 recommended Cultural and Museum Grants at a level of 100%.” It also allocates $325,000 to fully fund the top 13 of 18 recommended Culture Builds Florida Grants, and more than $15.6 million to fully fund the top 39 of 55 cultural facilities.
Meanwhile, the memo laments the relative lack of funding in the House budget proposal, which, despite ongoing negotiations, is about $4 billion short of the Senate’s overall proposal.
Where the Senate budget currently fully funds all cultural and museum grants, the House version would fully fund only 19, with a funding gap of more than $12 million between the two proposals. Likewise, it would fund only five of the 18 recommended Culture Builds Florida Grants, and without regard to ranking, as the Senate version does. Likewise, the House proposal offers about half as much for Cultural Facilities Grants, with funding for just 19 of the 55 recommended grants, and again, without regard to ranking.
The group is recommending its members “ask Senators to maintain their levels of funding” and add another $107,000 to its Culture Builds Florida section to fully fund all recommended applications. They also ask members to ask lawmakers in the House to adopt the Senate’s appropriation proposals for arts and cultural grants.
The memo also includes calls to action on some of its priority bills. That includes a plea to lawmakers to amend a measure (SB 1664 and HB 1221) that would require reauthorization on or before January 1, 2023, for any local discretionary sales tax or tourist development tax, and to include an expiration date for future taxes levied. The Cultural Alliance is asking legislators to exempt the tourist development tax, also known as the bed tax.
The group is also seeking an amendment to a measure (SB 1242) that would terminate all existing Community Redevelopment Agencies by Sept. 30, 2045, or the charter expiration date, whichever is sooner. It would also prohibit existing CRAs from initiating new projects or issuing new debt after Oct. 1 of this year, and prohibit the creation of new CRAs after July 1 of this year. The Cultural Alliance is siding with another group, the Florida Redevelopment Association, on its guidance on the bill.
That group notes that CRAs “are one of the most effective tools cities and counties have to address blight, attract private investment, and support affordable housing.” While CRAs don’t have a direct link to arts and culture, areas governed by CRAs tend to undergo transformations that include significant emphasis on arts and culture as part of redevelopment efforts. The group is asking concerned citizens to urge Senators to remove the prohibition on new CRA projects or debt and the ban on CRAs after their expiration, and instead craft legislation that focuses on transparency and accountability.
The recommendations come as lawmakers prepare to reconcile budgets that still have significant daylight between them, not just on spending levels but on how to cut taxes for Floridians. The House is proposing a blanket, permanent cut to state sales tax, while the Senate is instead pushing to eliminate state sales tax on certain clothing items. And neither budget tackles Gov. Ron DeSantis’ priority: taking steps to eliminate property taxes on homesteaded properties.
The differences have led some to speculate that the expected adjournment on May 2 from the 60-day Legislative Session could be delayed.
