Sex? Grandstanding? Arts leaders, experts examine why DeSantis cut funds — and prep for future

Could it be that simple? Was a cheekily titled piece of theater at the Tampa Fringe responsible for Gov. Ron DeSantis’s veto of $32 million in arts funding from the $116 billion 2024-25 state budget, affecting more than 600 organizations statewide and leaving all cultural grant programs unfunded for the first time ever?

That seemed to be what the governor was saying at a June press conference when he referred to the state’s Fringe Festivals, including Orlando’s , as “sexual” in addressing his veto of cultural funding.

“How many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that? Not many people would do that,” he said.

A tweet from DeSantis communications director Bryan Griffin , showing an advertisement for a show titled “Captain Havoc and the Big-Titty Bog Witches” at Tampa Fringe, reinforced the idea: “This is NOT an appropriate use of taxpayer dollars, but would have otherwise been part of a taxpayer-funded ‘Fringe Festival’ had @GovRonDeSantis not acted to protect taxpayer dollars,” he posted on X, formerly Twitter.

But arts leaders and experts say there are more variables than adult content at play in the elimination of the funding, a move that left organizations scrambling and casting a wary if determined eye to the future. And while Orlando and Orange County governments, already key backers of local arts organizations, remain supportive, it’s unlikely they would fill in the funding gap.

“I would like this to be a call to arms for our entire arts and cultural community,” said Vicki Landon, administrator of Orange County’s Arts & Cultural Affairs office.

Bid for relevancy

“It’s totally political,” said Jennifer Evins, president and CEO of advocacy agency United Arts of Central Florida. “This is really about his political future.”

Julia Maskivker, professor of political science at Rollins College in Winter Park, sees the governor’s veto similarly — as a bid to stay in the public eye.

“His race for the presidential nomination was a total failure. He’s trying to stay relevant at the national level,” she said. “It’s a strategy: He doesn’t want to disappear.”

The governor’s veto has received attention worldwide with The New York Times and The Associated Press, among other significant news organizations taking notice.

Jennifer Jones, president of the statewide Florida Cultural Alliance, said she has been getting calls from Canada, with some arts officials there offering help.

“I know there’s interest,” she says. “The world watches Florida. We have a lot of visibility.”

DeSantis’ subsequent labeling of Fringe festivals — which feature a range of plays, concerts, comedy acts, dance performances, magic shows and more for all ages — as “sexual” has contributed to spreading the word.

“We have seen press as far away as Australia,” home to several Fringe fests, said Scott Galbraith, interim executive director of Orlando Fringe. “People are expressing support for their local fringes as well as sharing solidarity with us. It’s very gratifying, of course.”

Invoking the Fringe for his veto decision plays well with the socially conservative right-wing, said Maskivker, a specialist in political theory.

“By striking out against the arts he wants to show that base of fanatics that he’s still the cultural warrior, the savior they want to see in a politician,” she said, with an eye to future political ambitions.

A look at DeSantis’ behavior while serving in the U.S. House of Representatives before being elected governor in 2019, supports the idea that blaming Fringe is political grandstanding, Maskivker said.

“He was not this cultural warrior obsessed with social issues. He was a very traditional small-government, fiscal-integrity Republican,” she said. So is he concerned about adult content at a theater festival?

“I don’t think he gives a damn, deep down,” she said.

Not personal

Jones and Evins back the idea the governor was not interested in targeting the arts specifically. The $32 million in arts funding he nixed amounts to about 3.3% of the nearly $950 million in total cuts he made.

Looking through the 16-page list of non-arts organizations and programs that lost out, Jones noted, “We don’t have anything in common except dollars. Maybe he had a number goal he wanted to reach.”

DeSantis says he vetoed state arts grants over ‘sexual’ Fringe Festivals

But Landon, from Orange County, said even if it wasn’t a specific swipe at the arts, the governor’s action reflected a lack of understanding of what the cultural sector contributes to the state’s quality of life.

“If you want to show me what your values are, show me your budget,” she said. “Our state government doesn’t currently value arts and culture the way it has in the past. I think that’s a sad thing philosophically for our state.”

Priorities elsewhere

Florida’s State Department, which oversees the cultural-grants programs vetoed by the governor, pointed out that the budget still contains money for the arts sector — nearly $30 million in individual line items from legislators; it’s just not being spent on the general operational support, endowment, project and facility grants that went unfunded.

Among the spending that escaped the governor’s veto is “$5.3 million in African-American cultural grants that support renovations and boost the development of new facilities at our state’s numerous African-American cultural and historical sites,” wrote Mark Ard, the department’s director of external affairs, in an email.

One major Central Florida cultural project received significant funding: DeSantis left intact a $5 million allocation toward construction of the new Holocaust Museum for Hope & Humanity in Orlando, a project championed by state Sen. Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, and state Rep. David Smith, R-Winter Springs.

Orlando’s planned Holocaust Museum scales back as leader departs

DeSantis has cast his arts-grant veto as a populist one that reflects the will of the voters, saying arts spending isn’t something he can “sell” to the public, as opposed to spending on transportation, education and preserving natural resources.

“I can’t sell the Fringe Festival to taxpayers,” he said at the June news conference. “Nor would I want to try to sell the Fringe Festival to taxpayers.”

Local support

Local governments said actions on the state level have no bearing on their continued commitment to Central Florida cultural organizations.

“As a city, we know that investing in arts and culture not only builds community and makes Orlando more vibrant and interesting for residents, but also fuels economic development by encouraging visitors and promoting creativity-driven industries,” wrote city spokesman Douglas G. Richards in a statement.

The city provides thousands of dollars to arts groups annually and assists many by assuming ownership of their buildings — and then leasing them back to the resident organizations for $1 per year. Orlando Ballet, Orlando Shakes, the Orlando Philharmonic and the Downtown Arts Districts are among the notable groups who have benefited from arrangements along those lines.

Orange County invests just shy of $15.5 million in arts organizations, said Landon, who also pointed to the business that the arts sector creates.

“It’s a gigantic economic driver for Orange County,” she said.

A 2023 study by Americans for the Arts, on which Florida’s Division of Arts and Culture served as a partner, found that the industry generated $5.8 billion of economic activity in the state, including $2.9 billion by nonprofits, who were eligible for the vetoed grants.

“This economic activity supports 91,270 full-time jobs and generates $3.8 billion in resident household income,” states the Florida government website page headlined “Economic Impact of the Arts,” while pointing out the cultural sector returns $694.7 million in revenue for local, state and federal governments.

That return on investment, impact on the state economy and cultural amenities’ ability to draw more jobs to Florida are why the governor’s veto puzzled Evins of United Arts.

‘It’s bad’: In Florida state budget, arts groups get short shrift

“I understand his conservative view about state money being spent, but the arts are not disposable,” she said. I think it’s really shortsighted. I think that’s inconsistent with what he’s always saying about improving the economy. He wants to talk about a state that leads in innovation and he’s just cut a source of that. There’s not an industry on the planet that doesn’t lean on a creative workforce.”

Arts groups react

Following the unprecedented elimination of all grants funding, a monthly conference call among arts organizations reached capacity for the first time ever.

“It was tough,” was how Jones of the Florida Cultural Alliance described the call. “There was a sense there was nothing we could have done.”

There were particular worries about how organizations outside metropolitan areas would fare.

“I think about the rural communities that don’t have corporations and foundations like we have,” Evins said. “The state funding is a critical piece of their budgets.”

A Florida Cultural Alliance survey on the lost money provided disheartening results: 28% of respondents statewide said they would have to eliminate staff, 50% said they would have to cancel programs for senior citizens and children, and 5% said they faced ceasing operations.

Some Central Florida organizations leapt into action immediately.

Theatre South Playhouse is planning a July 26 reunion concert of cast members from Disney World’s “Finding Nemo” show at its southwest Orlando venue. The fundraiser is specifically to replace money lost from the state. The theater was recommended to receive $25,000 in operating support, but the Legislature had reduced that to $11,750 before the governor eliminated the funding altogether.

Enzian Theater in Maitland and the Orlando Philharmonic Orchestra also sent out mass emails to supporters, emphasizing the need for donations in light of the governor’s veto.

How vital the state money is to an organization’s budget varies from group to group, but generally the bigger the organization the less critical the money is.

Orlando Family Stage had a 2023-24 budget of $3.6 million, for example. The recommended state grant of $150,000 would represent about 4.1% of that. Not critical, but also not inconsequential, said executive director Chris Brown.

In part because of ongoing uncertainty over government funding, the theater is planning one fewer production in the upcoming season, he said.

“We do have to make hard choices about next year. It’s been hours and hours and hours of our staff working on different calculations,” Brown said. “We always climb a mountain but it feels like the mountain gets taller every day.

The future

Could the governor’s veto be undone? Technically yes, if a special session of the Legislature was called and lawmakers overruled his decision. Practically speaking, there’s no chance.

“There’s no rumbling of such a thing,” said Jones. “Looking forward is the best thing we can do.”

Arts organizations likely can’t turn to local governments for additional money.

“City departments are in the budget-development process for the next fiscal year right now, so it’s too early to answer that at this time,” wrote the Orlando spokesman.

Orange County has established mechanisms for funding, which are partially dependent on numbers such as population and revenue from the Tourist Development Tax, a surcharge on hotel and other accommodation bills.

Jones and Evins said reminding officials of the economic importance of the arts remains paramount.

“The arts community has to do better statewide,” Evins said. “We’ve got to meet with legislators year-round and educate them on why the arts matter.”

Also important: Taking DeSantis at his word, said Jones, who noted his proposed budget last December did not include funding for the arts-grants programs.

“He said zero and he did zero,” she said. “The writing was on the wall but the process mostly takes place in the Legislature so we focused there.”

She said working with DeSantis on the next budget, and hoping for a better outcome for arts funding, is still very much on the table.

“Keeping a good relationship with the executive office is possible,” Jones said. “We can say ouch when it hurts, but we have to live on to the next day.”

Follow me at facebook.com/matthew.j.palm or email me at mpalm@orlandosentinel.com . Find more arts news at OrlandoSentinel.com/entertainment .