Arts organizations contemplate show cancellations and staff cuts after state budget vetoes

Florida Matters

Arts organizations around Florida are scrambling to make up budget shortfalls after Governor Ron DeSantis vetoed $32 million in cultural and museum grants. The cuts will have an impact on hundreds of theatres, museums, performance groups and other arts organizations large and small. The vetoes are part of nearly $1 billion that DeSantis trimmed from the state budget, which is now a whopping $116.5 billion. “We’re making big investments in our future while spending less of our taxpayer’s money to maintain our state’s strong financial standing and robust economy," DeSantis wrote in a letter to Secretary of State Cord Byrd listing the line-item vetoes. To talk more about the role of arts organizations in the Tampa Bay economy and how they will navigate the next year without those state grants, we spoke with David Jenkins, Producing Artistic Director at Jobsite Theater at the Straz Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa, Mary Bensel, Executive Director at Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall in the city of Sarasota, Brian Hersh, CEO of the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota and Jennifer Jones, President and CEO, Florida Cultural Alliance.