(Illustration by Chris Sellen)
Consider that celebratory moment when a theatre or other arts and culture organization, after meticulous preparation and attention to detail, receives confirmation that its funding has been approved. Planning starts, new seasons are confirmed and the nonprofit is ready for a new year.
Then, picture the shock, fear and devastation as the promised grant, amounting to $32 million throughout the state of Florida, is suddenly retracted after an outright lie.
When Gov. Ron DeSantis was asked in a press conference why he unprecedently vetoed the arts and culture line item that had been vetted and approved by his Republican-dominated state legislature, his response was, “You have your tax dollars being given in grants to things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff.”
He criticized the Tampa Fringe and Orlando Fringe festivals for being “too sexual,” despite no record of his attendance, with all shows categorized and appropriately age rated. The latter held its 33rd festival May 14-27 before the former returned to Ybor June 5-16, and neither allowed children in adult-oriented shows.
When people learn that DeSantis eliminated 100% of crucial funding, they often first think about performing arts theatres. However, this veto affects every nonprofit in the arts and culture sector — from museums and zoos to orchestras, operas, visual arts, photography and more.
If it falls under arts and culture, a category known for embracing diversity, multiculturalism and LGBTQ+ inclusivity — aspects seemingly of concern to the governor — his decision has wide-ranging impacts on all arts and culture organizations in Florida.
This move blindsided nonprofit groups that play vital roles in supporting their communities. Despite being significantly reduced, the funds had been approved and planned for in the state budget before being sent to DeSantis for a final signature.
After fighting to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic, arts and culture organizations that survived already say they are facing additional hurdles in recovering from reduced audience attendance and revenues. The grants enabled many nonprofits to supply jobs to his state’s constituents, leaving them wondering: how can DeSantis not realize the arts generate jobs and income for Florida?
Margaret Murray is CEO of Creative Pinellas, which exists to uplift art and artists throughout Pinellas County in Tampa Bay. She says that “given the financial importance of the arts for our tourism and local cultural economy, I fear the economic impact the most. If we look at the nine-to-one return on investment generated by arts spending, that’s a statewide hit of almost $300 million. It has very strong implications for the area.
“There are organizations like Creative Pinellas that have new leadership that were looking forward to making some significant transformative changes within their organizations and how their organizations would impact their communities,” she continues. “Many of those big changes are — by necessity — not going to happen because there is going to be belt-tightening and ‘OK, we can’t take a big risk because we don’t have that money. We can’t take a leap of faith on this program that we know will positively benefit our community because we have to do what we’re already doing.’”
The day before DeSantis vetoed the funding, Creative Pinellas had launched a restructuring of the grants program to provide more funding to artists across many genres.
“Now, we need to look at our funding to ensure we can still meet those lofty goals that we promised,” she explains. “We need to move forward in a very actionable way, but because this is unprecedented, there is no playbook for how to move forward. What has been most gratifying to see is people unifying around this tragedy. It’s been wonderful to see arts organizations coming out with statements like, ‘Now is the time for you to support your favorite arts organization. Now is the time to buy work from an artist, buy a ticket to a play, see a performance, or buy season tickets.’
“It’s been wonderful to see this communal advocacy for each other,” she adds. “These are unprecedented times, and I feel horrible that [the Fringe festivals] are being scapegoated. The state funding doesn’t go to support [their] artists … those artists are paid from ticket sales. It’s tarring everyone with the same brush and it’s really unforgivable.”
Murray believes there will be more concrete efforts as people are still organizing.
“Honestly,” she says, “the most important thing is for people to vote and say, ‘I value this in my life and my community.’ If we elect leaders who understand the importance of the arts, no matter their political affiliation, we don’t need to go through this again.”
Justin Muchoney, Vice President, Member and Patron Experience, and Artistic Director of Central Florida Community Arts, explains the enormous negative impact of DeSantis’ decision. The group works to serve and build community through the arts in Central Florida.
“Our message to policymakers is one of deep disappointment and concern. The veto shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the role that arts organizations play in our communities and the breadth of programming this funding supports,” he says. “We hope they realize that arts programs aren’t narrow or hard to define. They are programs for children, youth and families. They are programs for older adults. They are programs that create healthy and vibrant communities and citizens.
“This year’s veto of arts funding will have significant repercussions for CFCArts,” he continues. “The loss of funding threatens our ability to deliver high-quality arts education and performances that serve thousands of community members, including underserved populations, and our budget is constantly under review to ensure we can deliver the best programming possible to the widest range of people in our community. This not only affects our staff but also the teaching artists, music therapists, older adults, students, and audiences who benefit from these vital programs.”
Muchoney also notes that the arts are a “crucial part of our shared cultural fabric, fostering creativity, expression and unity. Cutting arts funding undermines the very essence of what makes our community vibrant and resilient. The arts contribute significantly to economic development by attracting professionals to our area. For CFCArts, our members, hundreds of doctors, lawyers, teachers, architects, and other professionals participate in our programs, with many citing these cultural offerings as a deciding factor in choosing to live and work in Orlando.”
Furthermore, he says the group urges “policymakers to be steadfast partners through next year’s budget process and recognize the profound impact the arts have on the quality of life and economic vitality of our state.”
Some arts supporters find themselves wondering if the veto was punishment to those organizations DeSantis perceives as “woke.” Is this just another example of censorship, an attack disguised under the guise of protecting children? Florida has already experienced DeSantis’ opposition to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts and his controversial banning of certain books, many of which are LGBTQ+, reflecting a concerning trend toward restrictive measures.
“It is concerning that the arts community is being targeted in what appears to be a political maneuver against organizations perceived as progressive or inclusive,” Muchoney says. “The term ‘woke’ has been used pejoratively to describe efforts toward social justice and equity. Punishing organizations for fostering inclusivity and representation undermines the values of diversity and freedom of expression that are fundamental to the arts and our nation.
“Our programs, which include diverse participants from various backgrounds, exemplify how inclusivity enriches our community and drives economic and social progress,” he continues. “While we can’t guess or imply the underlying motives, we know that arts organizations provide vital work to people of all ages in our communities, and the loss of that presence in our communities will be devastating to everyone.”
In a statement, Katie Blankenship, director of nonprofit PEN America’s Florida office, adds that “DeSantis is taking his war on culture to a new level. This decision will not only devastate the arts but add to his legacy of censorship and disregard for art, literature and knowledge.”
Watermark spoke to two Florida lawmakers, each of whom was appalled at the governor’s veto.
Central Florida’s state Representative Anna V. Eskamani, who regularly attends Orlando Fringe, defended the festival against his attack.
“DeSantis has attempted to disguise his awful decision to cut these programs by creating another culture war, attacking the International Fringe festivals and saying they are ‘sexual festivals,’” she says. “This is ridiculous and provides another example of how DeSantis pivots to sensational accusations whenever he loses a policy fight.”
The region’s state Senator-elect Carlos Guillermo Smith agrees.
“The governor has gone to great lengths to show his disdain for LGBTQ Floridians; that much is obvious,” he notes. “But it appears he may also be scapegoating Fringe after receiving huge bipartisan blowback for his job-killing veto of arts and culture funds. In either scenario, this unprecedented veto of all arts funding is absolutely devastating to an industry that generates $4 billion in economic activity for our state annually. These arts grants also yield a 9-to-1 rate of return for taxpayers, so the veto is also fiscally irresponsible.
“How are the 600 cultural and museum grantees supposed to respond to this threat from their governor?” he asks. “Should the arts be censored and their content tailored to appease Florida’s king? As shocking and unprecedented as these arts vetoes are, we cannot be surprised. Censorship of the arts goes hand in hand with book banning and state control of speech under DeSantis. Just look at what history says about the types of administrations that use their power to censor the arts — they weren’t democracies.”
Tampa Fringe and Orlando Fringe are still reeling from the ambush. The groups released an open letter to the governor July 11 to advocate for the arts advising they would forgo their 2025 state grants to restore the remaining funding for other organizations.
“This is a mischaracterization of what we do at Fringe Festivals, and it’s really not fair to use us as a scapegoat because it’s not merited. We’re not doing anything like what he said. We are not a sex festival. We’re a theatre festival,” Tampa Fringe Co-Founder, President and Producer Trish Parry shared.
“My hope is that this was a misunderstanding about what we do,” she continues. “It could very well be behind-the-scenes people, like the communications director, who misinformed the governor. We don’t know what the motivation is. If it turns out that it isn’t, it is definitely a move in the wrong direction for everyone trying to use their freedom of speech. It would be nice if the governor took ownership of that and perhaps had a conversation and considered doing what he could to make this right with the organizations in Florida.”
“It’s unfortunate that Governor DeSantis mischaracterized the Fringe. I don’t know if that was purposeful or a misunderstanding. We’d appreciate an opportunity to correct his understanding of what Fringe is,” adds Orlando Fringe Interim Executive Director Scott Galbraith.
“We stand firmly with Tampa Fringe and Orlando Fringe, praising their crucial role in championing free speech and free expression while dispelling misinformation on the nature of these community organizations. These festivals and the programs they produce provide an invaluable platform for artists to share their voices and contribute to our society without the constraints of government censorship,” Muchoney also notes. “By amplifying their voices through our platforms and encouraging our supporters to attend and support their events, we emphasize the importance of artistic freedom and the significant positive impact these festivals have on our cultural and social landscape.”
Fringe festivals tend to embrace as many cultures as possible in their different forms of expression.
“We may not always agree with [Fringe participants.] That’s fine. We don’t have to. We welcome them. Even if you find something you disagree with, you grow from that,” explains Galbraith. “We have been very fortunate to be embraced by the community. Hopefully, that will continue because we and arts organizations across the state will clearly need it.
“We are doing what we can to be appreciative while advocating for ourselves and the arts and culture sector as a whole,” he continues. “We amplify what we’ve had to do for centuries. For some reason, the arts and culture sector has always had to validate and justify its reason for being. It’s odd because it is such an essential human need. Storytelling started around campfires back when Wooly Mammoths were roaming. What we do is millennia old, yet we still have to advocate for the importance of communicating, storytelling and gathering together in community. We have taken a number of hits during the centuries, but we always rise. We always do. We’re working to reframe the narrative because the one that got out there is completely false.”
Both Parry and Galbraith say the community can support the Fringes by sharing their written statements and supporting all arts and culture organizations.
“I think it’s helpful to spread the word that Fringe is not what DeSantis said because it is already hard enough for people to understand what we do since the word Fringe has many different meanings,” Parry explains. “People wanting to support us can write to the governor in a non-incendiary way, imploring him to reconsider this veto of all the arts, explaining that many people are affected, and drawing awareness to this issue.
“Anyone I’ve spoken to — on both sides of the political spectrum — has been appalled,” she continues. “My fondest hope is that it was an accident and will all be fixed. I’d like to think that no one is inherently evil, so my hope is that it is just a misunderstanding.”
Jobsite Theater — the Straz Center’s resident theater company in Tampa — and Powerstories Theatre, another space dedicated to fostering connection through the arts, reacted similarly.
“We’re disappointed that the governor sees so little value in an entire industry in Florida that generates billions of dollars in revenue and employs tens, if not hundreds of thousands, of citizens every year,” Jobsite Theater Producing Artistic Director David Jenkins says. “The arts and culture are big business in Florida and this move does nothing but hurt Floridians.
“I believe that we are at peak culture war right now and that there is a presidential election in the fall does not help,” he continues. “The far-right has weaponized just about every area of culture, and this sort of move is clearly ‘red meat’ to chum up and consolidate a certain base of support as we head toward November. I can’t speculate on what the governor’s actual intention was … however, if the idea was to punish the ‘woke,’ a lot of other organizations were just punished terribly for whatever offense the governor took to Fringe festivals. That seems terribly petty, short-sided and retaliatory.”
Powerstories Theatre founder Fran Powers adds, “I see young people and adults every day whose lives have been changed for the better because of their work with theatre. A mother recently approached me and said, ‘My young daughter is a new person because of your staff’s work with her in your Girlstories Leadership Theater program. She is now engaged, inspired, and dedicated to living a life of meaning.’
“Is this not worth less than a quarter of one percent of the state’s budget to help young children?” she asks. “There are not enough adjectives in the English language to describe how disheartened I am about our state government.”
Eskamani says that “investing in arts and culture is a powerful economic generator. The arts sector creates jobs, stimulates tourism and enhances the quality of life for all Floridians. Cutting this funding undermines our state’s economic vitality and disregards our cultural institutions’ significant contributions. We must recognize and support the invaluable impact of arts and culture on our economy and society. I urge the legislature to fully fund these programs next session and ask that community members step up to fill these funding gaps created by Governor DeSantis.”
The best way to support arts and culture is with personal involvement and financial contributions.
“Most importantly, the community should make finding arts organizations they believe in and supporting them directly a top priority,” Jenkins stresses. “Buy tickets, memberships and passes. Donate. Don’t just like a post on Facebook. Show up. This is something people can do right now that has immediate impact.”
Powers states, “The community can become better informed about our value to the economy in our community in Florida. They can get involved, volunteer, join our board of directors, or they can make a donation to help us continue our great works.”
“We cannot underestimate the potential generational impact of this kind of thing happening on a broad scale over a long period. It will be bad enough if it lasts this entire fiscal year — and by the way, I believe we are the only state now with zero funding,” Galbraith notes.
“If this becomes the norm in our state, the ripples will be monumental, and I’m not being overdramatic by saying that,” he adds. “It will affect education, mental health, people and businesses coming into the area, as well as the ability of some of our arts and culture entities to access the talent pool they currently enjoy. It cannot be underestimated how dangerous a moment this is for the state of Florida.”
Watermark reached out to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office multiple times for comment and received no response.
To read Orlando and Tampa Fringe’s joint letter to the governor and to learn more about each festival, visit OrlandoFringe.org and TampaFringe.org. Visit CreativePinellas.org, CFCArts.com, JobsiteTheater.org and Powerstories.com to learn more about each arts organization.
