New arts study: A $135 million boost to Lee County and Fort Myers, despite Ian and COVID
2022 and early 2023 were rough for the Lee County arts and entertainment scene. COVID kept making unwanted appearances. And then Hurricane Ian stormed into town and upended everything.
The results are obvious from a new study tracking the economic impact of the county's theaters, museums, art galleries, orchestras and more.
Lee County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry generated more than $135 million in economic activity in 2022 and the first four months of 2023, according to the national study Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (or "AEP6").
That's $5 million less than the last report in 2017 — despite the new study tracking some for-profit organizations for the first time (instead of exclusively nonprofits), and despite Lee County surveyors getting an extra four months to gather survey data after Hurricane Ian.
"We got the one-two punch," says Molly Rowan-Deckart, executive director for Lee County's Alliance for the Arts, about COVID-19 and Hurricane Ian. "It hurt everybody. And that's why you see that dip. It’s significant."
Study results: Big economic impact from Lee County's arts
Even so, Rowan-Deckart points out that the study proves one big thing: Arts and culture organizations remain big business in Lee County.
"$135 million is a LOT of money," Rowan-Deckart says and laughs.
The study also shows that:
Lee County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry supported 2,516 jobs;
$23.4 million was generated in local, state and federal tax revenue;
People spent an average of $40.19 whenever they visited a theater, museum or other nonprofit arts group, including food, transportation and hotel stays (but not tickets and admission);
23.3% of event attendees were non-locals traveling from outside Lee County;
And those non-locals spent even more than locals: An average of $57.68 per event (not including tickets or admission).
Surveyors from the Alliance for the Arts gathered that data over a 16-month period — January 2022 through April 2023 — in cooperation with national organization Americans for the Arts. In its nationwide study, that organization also tracked the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture groups in 372 other study regions in all 50 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
Nationally, the nonprofit arts and culture industry generated $152 billion in 2022, according to the study. That supported 2.6 million jobs and generated $29.1 billion in government tax revenue.
“Arts and culture organizations have a powerful ability to attract and hold dollars in the community longer," said Nolen V. Bivens, president and CEO of Americans for the Arts, in a news release. "They employ people locally, purchase goods and services from nearby businesses, and produce the authentic cultural experiences that are magnets for visitors, tourists and new residents.
"When we invest in nonprofit arts and culture, we strengthen our economy and build more livable communities.”
Collier County also participated in the national study, but organizers haven't released their findings yet. United Arts Collier plans to release the report on Jan. 29, according to UAC operations manager Martina Long.
More findings: Fort Myers numbers, audience satisfaction
In addition to the Lee County study, the Alliance for the Arts conducted a breakout study that focused exclusively on Fort Myers. According to that study, the city's nonprofit arts and culture industry:
Generated $98.7 million;
Supported 1,932 jobs; and
Resulted in $17 million in tax revenue to local, state and federal governments.
The main Lee County study also found that most arts and culture attendees value Lee County's offerings. According to surveys at Lee County events:
87% of attendees agreed that the activity or venue inspired "a sense of pride in this neighborhood or community";
86% agreed that they'd “feel a great sense of loss if this activity or venue were no longer available"; and
81% agreed that the venue or facility is “an important pillar for me within my community.”
A lack of study participation: Ian, COVID and survey fatigue
Despite those findings, the study had some big limitations that hindered surveyors' collection of economic information. In addition to the effects of COVID-19 and Hurricane Ian on arts organizations, there was also a lack of participation from some of Lee County's biggest arts groups.
To compile the statistics, surveyors from the Alliance for the Arts worked with theaters, concert venues, museums, art galleries, orchestras and other local arts groups in Lee County. Many major organizations submitted detailed survey data, including Florida Repertory Theatre, Broadway Palm, Southwest Florida Symphony, the River District Alliance, Gulf Coast Symphony, Davis Art Center and Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Hall.
But many eligible organizations didn't submit survey data, including major players Arts Bonita, BIG ARTS, Cultural Park Theater, Edison & Ford Winter Estates, Gulfshore Opera, WGCU Public Media and Art Fest Fort Myers, Rowan-Deckart says. Only 8% of Lee County's eligible arts and culture organizations submitted survey data.
Rowan-Deckart and study researchers partly blame that low participation on "survey fatigue." The Arts & Economic Prosperity Report usually takes place every five years and requires a lot of work on the part of the organizations – many of which were shorter-staffed due to the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Then Hurricane Ian left many of those businesses closed for months or destroyed.
"COVID and the hurricane really didn't do anything to help us as an arts community," Rowan-Deckart says. "So I think the lift was a little heavier than it had been in previous years, just because people had lost employees and have lost physical structures."
The study compensated for some missing surveys with information from available sources such as the organizations' IRS forms and annual economic reports, or by simply "cold-calling" the organizations to get the information over the phone, according to the Americans for the Arts research team. So those organizations were still represented.
In all, 39 of Lee County's 219 eligible arts and culture groups either provided surveys or were represented through research by the Americans for the Arts research team, according to Rowan-Deckart and the research team.
There is some good news to that, though, Rowan-Deckart says. That means the economic impact of all 219 arts groups is likely much higher than what's represented in the study.
Advocating for the arts in Lee County
The Alliance for the Arts spent $12,000 on the study, Rowan-Deckart says. And she thinks it's money well-spent.
The study will ultimately help Lee County's arts and culture scene get more tax dollars and government grants, she says. Arts groups can prove that government dollars don't go to waste: They actually generate more revenue.
"We really get to use this for advocacy," Rowan-Deckart says. "I think we're ready to advocate in a larger way using these numbers, pushing for sustainable streams of funding from the county. We don't have that investment yet."
She hasn't yet had that conversation with county leaders to see how they could help and in what ways, she says. "Right now, they're not doing anything. So there's only one way to go, and it’s up."
The Arts & Economic Prosperity Report is the sixth conducted by Americans for the Arts, which calls it the most comprehensive study of its kind.
For more information on the national study, visit AEP6.AmericansForTheArts.org. For local numbers, visit artinlee.org/aep6.
— Charles Runnells is an arts and entertainment reporter for The News-Press and the Naples Daily News. To reach him, call 239-335-0368 (for tickets to shows, call the venue) or email him at crunnells@gannett.com. Follow or message him on social media: Facebook (facebook.com/charles.runnells.7), X (formerly Twitter) (@charlesrunnells), Threads (@crunnells1) and Instagram (@crunnells1).
This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Fort Myers, Lee County arts study: $135 million from shows, museums, etc.
