DeSantis slashes $32M in Florida arts grants: What it means for Fort Myers, Naples

Shock. Outrage. Disbelief. Anger.

Southwest Florida's arts leaders had those reactions and more after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed all of Florida's planned arts and culture grants in the state's 2024-25 budget.

Every single penny.

"This veto is not just a budgetary decision," said Molly Rowan-Deckart, executive director for the Alliance for the Arts in Fort Myers. "It is a blatant disregard for the thousands of jobs, the educational opportunities and the community enrichment that arts and culture provide."

DeSantis vetoed $32 million in cultural and museum grants and related funding when he signed Florida's annual budget into law June 12. It was part of a sweeping $950 million in state grants and programs slashed by the governor.

"I'm shocked and disappointed," said Greg Longenhagen, producing artistic director for Florida Repertory Theatre in downtown Fort Myers. "To my knowledge, this is the first time in our history where zero dollars were allocated to arts and culture."

In all, 577 arts programs and 33 facilities across Florida lost their anticipated grants. And that includes dozens in Southwest Florida.

"It was extremely disappointing…" said Alyona Ushe, executive director of Arts Bonita. "Florida’s identity and appeal extend far beyond its beaches, and arts and culture play a crucial role in enhancing the quality of life for both residents and tourists alike."

The lost funds could affect what local arts groups are able to do this coming season, including concerts, festivals, exhibits and art classes. It could also raise ticket prices or lead to fewer free events.

DeSantis slashes arts and culture grants

For decades, the state has awarded grant money to nonprofit cultural organizations through a vetting process. This year, Florida's Legislature approved just $32 million ― $26 million in cultural and museum grants that support programming, and $6 million in Cultural Facilities Grants, which provide money for building projects.

In the cultural and museum grants category, organizations can qualify for up to $150,000 each year, but this year the Legislature allocated only 47 percent of that total. And even that was eliminated with the governor’s veto.

In a June 12 news conference, DeSantis said he wanted to bring in the state's $116.5 billion budget under current-year spending. “This is a budget that shows it can be done,” he said.

When asked about the veto, DeSantis spokesman Jeremy Redfern said this: “The governor reviews every bill and appropriation that comes across his desk and uses his authority under the Florida Constitution to make veto decisions that are in the best interest of the state of Florida.”

But Southwest Florida arts and culture leaders question the governor's reasoning and point out that the arts actually make money and offer a strong return on the state's investment.

"Everyone in the arts community was stunned to see the governor's unprecedented action to remove arts and culture funding," said Bryce Alexander, CEO and executive artistic director for The Naples Players. "Florida's arts and culture industry generates significant revenues for the state, and it is critical to local economic development."

Kent Kyle of Opera Naples worried about the chilling affect this could have on tourism in Florida. After all, tourists visit the state looking for fun things to do ― the kinds of things the vetoed arts grants helped support.

"People are coming to Florida for quality of life, golf, beaches and safety," said Kyle, the opera company's director of administration and development. "But if they have nothing else to do, such as museums, theaters, festivals and concerts ― or some kind of stimulating cultural events for our kids, grandkids or visitors ― it gets old pretty fast."

Arts and entertainment: A big moneymaker in Southwest Florida

Lee County's nonprofit arts-and-culture industry generated a whopping $135 million in 2022 and the first four months of 2023,  according to the recently released national study Arts & Economic Prosperity 6 (or "AEP6"). And Lee County’s nonprofit arts and culture industry supported 2,516 jobs.

In Collier County, that impact was even higher: $147 million in economic activity in 2022. And the Collier arts scene supported 1,948 jobs.

That's why Rowan-Deckart of the Alliance for the Arts said she's outraged by the governor's sweeping veto.

"The state's own analysis shows a nine-to-one return on investment from these grants ― money that supports local economies and generates tax revenue," she said. "To dismiss this is shortsighted and destructive."

Longenhagen of Florida Rep called the veto "a grave mistake."

"Florida Rep alone is a huge economic generator in the Downtown Fort Myers River District, pumping millions of dollars back into the local economy," he said. "Our patrons frequent the restaurants, bars and shops in downtown, helping businesses to thrive and creating significant tax revenue.

"Funding arts and culture is not a handout. It’s an investment in the economic future of a community."

How much grant money Southwest Florida lost

Southwest Florida art groups will lose more than $3 million in anticipated grant money this season, according to statistics provided by the Alliance for the Arts and the United Arts Collier.

Andrew Kurtz, founder of Gulf Coast Symphony and the Music & Arts Community Center, said they were expecting about $80,000 this year. Now they're getting none of it.

"This is a large enough hit that it isn’t possible to just ignore, nor can we expect to fully replace it with other fundraising," Kurtz says. "We have made reductions across the board to our budget that impacts all departments. It will limit some of the initiatives we had planned for our 30th anniversary."

Here's what some Southwest Florida arts and culture groups initially expected to receive this year (later reduced by the Florida Legislature and then vetoed by DeSantis), according to the Florida Division of Arts & Culture:

• Florida Repertory Theatre: $150,000

• The Naples Players: $150,000

• Alliance for the Arts: $131,000

• Arts Bonita: $150,000

• Naples Botanical Garden: $150,000

• Artis―Naples: $150,000

• Gulf Coast Symphony: $150,000

• Opera Naples: $150,000

• Southwest Florida Symphony: $143,874

• Naples Art Association: $150,000

• The Symphonic Chorale of Southwest Florida: $26,164

• Gulfshore Opera: $116,296

• BIG ARTS: $150,000

• The Jewish Federation of Lee and Charlotte Counties: $20,000

• Cultural Park Theater: $25,000

• Grand Piano Series: $58,640

• Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center (aka Florida Arts Inc.): $148,665

• United Arts Collier: $45,000

• The "Ding" Darling Wildlife Society: $150,000

• Quality Life Center of Southwest Florida: $25,000

• Gulfshore Playhouse: $150,000

• Art League of Marco Island: $96,000

• Naples Concert Band: $18,700

• The Conservancy of Southwest Florida: $150,000

• Art League of Marco Island: $96,155

• TheatreZone: $25,000

• Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum: $150,000

That money was going to be used to fund low-cost tickets, free events, art classes, marketing, paying performers and lots more.

"Arts and culture grants are essential for our organization … helping to keep costs down and allowing us to provide important free events so that children and low-income families can participate as well," said Jim Griffith, founder and director of Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center in downtown Fort Myers.

"Ticket revenue alone never covers all the costs of programming, and we rely on grants and donations to subsidize our income."

Fundraising might not be enough

Now these arts groups and venues are scrambling to make up the shortfall as the 2024-25 entertainment season approaches.

"This is not just about numbers on a balance sheet," said Rowan-Deckart of the Alliance for the Arts. "It’s about real people — artists, educators, families, and audiences ― who rely on these funds to create and experience the transformative power of the arts.

"Gov. DeSantis' decision is an outright betrayal of the values that uphold our society, and it is a disservice to every Floridian who believes in the importance of culture, creativity and community."

The Naples Players planned to use their expected $70,000 for educational programs serving Collier County students ― who, Alexander says, "are already reeling from restructuring in arts programs throughout local schools."

Arts Bonita was going to use the money to expand its collaboration with Title One Schools, offer scholarships for underserved communities and more. Gulf Coast Symphony and Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center were using it for, among other things, marketing and paying their performers. And the Alliance for the Arts planned to use its $131,000 to keep ticket prices low and provide free programming.

"Without this support, we are now facing the harsh reality of having to scale back our offerings," Rowan-Deckart said. "This means fewer cultural events, fewer educational opportunities and a diminished ability to serve our community."

The Alliance for the Arts plans to scale back its programming (including concerts, art exhibits and art classes), and Florida Rep is considering doing the same. Gulf Coast Symphony and The MACC have had to raise their ticket-handling fees, Kurtz says, but he hopes they won't have to raise ticket prices or reduce their plans for their 30th anniversary season.

United Arts Collier faces similar hard decisions this season, says executive director Elysia Dawn. The arts organization lost $45,000 in expected funds (reduced to $21,150 before getting vetoed by DeSantis). The money was going to be used for, among other things, arts programming in Collier County schools, veterans programs with Home Base and art therapy programs.

"The governor's veto of arts grants funding ... will unfortunately have a negative effect on our local community," Dawn said. "At UAC, we are diligently working to adjust our budget with as few cuts to programs and services as possible. But cuts are, unfortunately, inevitable."

Fundraisers are expected to happen in the near future for most of these arts organizations, but it may not be enough to make up for the shortfall.

"It is too early to know how deeply these programs will be impacted," said Alexander of The Naples Players, "but we will do everything in our power to maintain the offerings we published when the funding was originally awarded."

Southwest Florida Symphony CEO Amy Ginsburg vowed not to cut back on programming, and she credited the orchestra's board of trustees, patrons and benefactors for their ability to withstand the loss.

"We’ve committed to a season of performances that have already been announced," Ginsburg said."Further, we’ve committed to employing 70-plus musicians for a set amount of work from October through late April. Taking that away from our artists and our community is irresponsible and unfair to them.

"We’ve demonstrated that, for 64 years, we figure out a path forward regardless of the obstacles we face, and we’ll do that again this year."

Griffith said Davis Art Center will be stepping up its fundraising efforts. And he's calling on the many Southwest Floridians who love the arts to help fill the financial void.

"Our quality of life in Lee County is wonderful, thanks to the many offerings from our area nonprofit arts and culture organizations," he said. "And we hope those who have enjoyed what we bring to the community will rise to the occasion and support our efforts to provide services to the entire community."

John Kennedy, James Call and Jay Handelman of the USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA contributed to this article.

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, Naples arts groups shocked after $32 million DeSantis veto