Gabrielle Russon
After last year’s devastating arts cuts, lawmakers agreed to spend $20.8 million on cultural and museum grants.
During Monday’s budget talks, the Senate lowered its offer from $23.3 million to $20.8 million while the House’s offer was at $5.8 million as the Chambers’ top budget lawmakers hashed out the state’s spending plan. The two Chambers closed out the Transportation, Tourism and Economic Development Monday, arriving at the Senate’s $20.8 million.
“This is great news for arts funding!” Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith wrote on X, about the 650 groups slated to win grants.
People in the arts industry had been undoubtedly holding their breath, especially since Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated the entire line item last year — an unprecedented cut, arts supporters said. That left locals venues scrambling to find additional revenue sources, lay off employees, or eliminate shows.
“It’s heartbreaking,” said Leah Nash, Timucua Arts Foundation’s Executive Director, a small musical venue in Orlando, said last year. “What does that mean for arts in general? Is it a goal for the arts to be absent? I hope not. That’s terrifying to me. Arts bring so much to life, to people, to culture.”
Supporters of the arts said DeSantis’ line item vetoes last year didn’t make sense because the arts drive spending in local communities when event-goers spend money on food, hotel stays and more.
“The decision to veto this critical funding was reckless and it was stupid,” Smith told Florida Politics in an interview last year. “It was reckless and stupid because these grantees are economic engines in our communities.”
Some local arts venues found other paths to get money this year — through local funding requests put in by individual lawmakers.
The two Chambers agree to give $646,000 for the Pensacola Little Theatre to build a classroom wing for arts education as well as $350,000 to repair the Venice Theatre damaged by Hurricane Ian. Another winner was the Orlando Museum of Art since both Chambers agreed to allocate $1 million to refurbish a 30-year-old heating and air conditioning system and do other work.
