Floridians Slamming The Governor Over Arts Move That Affects All. Share Your Thoughts On The DeSantis Decision.
SunFest. The Norton. The Maltz. The Palm Beach Zoo. Broward Center. Kravis Center. All Hit Hard By DeSantis. Boca Raton Historical Society.
BY: ANDREW COLTON | Editor and Publisher
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — Democrats and Republicans continue to slam Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for what is described as an arbitrary and capricious decision to cut all arts grants from the State of Florida during the 2024-2025 budget year. The decision is likely to have huge impact on all Floridians — whether it’s an after school drama club that is run by a local non-profit, or a major performing group that operates in the state. Even the Palm Beach Zoo got hit — leaving many to ask, “what does DeSantis have against animals?”
The arts cut is being interpreted as a slam against families, kids, schools, teachers, and Floridians who are considered members of an “alternative” community. The cuts will impact young and old, residents and visitors. DeSantis made the cuts after promoting a record surplus for the 2024-2025 budget.
”DeSantis, in his evil, sick little conservative mind, continues to attack anything that is friendly to families or the LGBTQ+ community in Florida,” said a theater arts professional who asked not to be identified. “If this guy thinks he’s ever running for anything again, he needs to get it together. America spoke during his presidential primary fiasco. First he banned books. Now he’s banning the arts. America will speak again and continue to ban him from national office.”
”What does Ron DeSantis have against the zoo or local historical societies?” asked a BocaNewsNow.com reader and self-proclaimed republican activist. “It doesn’t make sense. This is not the way you rebuild your image after your image was tarnished.”
The cuts mean Palm Beach and Broward County arts organizations will not receive state funds that were previously approved. Among the organizations and funds they counted on: Palm Beach Opera ($150,000); Broward County — the actual county — ($150,000); The Kravis Center ($150,000); Cultural Council of Palm Beach County ($150,000); Palm Beach Dramaworks ($150,000); Broward Performing Arts Foundation ($150,000); Young At Art Of Broward ($150,000); Master Chorale Of South Florida ($67,941); Museum of Discovery and Science ($150,000); The Fort Lauderdale Children’s Theater ($90,000); The Maltz Jupiter Theater ($150,000).
Boca Raton Philharmonic Symphonia ($90,000); Norton Museum of Art ($150,000); Gold Coast Jazz Society ($76,000); Flamingo Gardens ($150,000); The Girlchoir of South Florida ($40,000); Gay Men’s Chorus of South Florida ($90,000); The Armory Art Center ($150,000); Sunfest of Palm Beach County ($150,000); District Board of Trustees Of Palm Beach State College ($150,000); The Zoological Society Of the Palm Beaches ($150,000); The Palm Beach Symphony Society ($150,000); The Masterworks Chorus of the Palm Beaches ($13,530); Nova Southeastern University ($150,000); Miami City Ballet ($150,000); Centre for the Arts at Mizner Park ($25,000); Historical Society of Palm Beach County ($121,850); Slow Burn Theater Company ($150,000); Boca Raton Historical Society ($90,000).
The official Florida list can be accessed through this link.
What do you think about the Ron DeSantis arts cuts and the impact of those cuts on life in Palm Beach County? Are zoos, historical societies, arts programs, and theater companies worthy of state funds? Share your thoughts, below.
I dont agree with the language like “evil Ron de Santis”.
I’m a fan of your news but no more. Evil is not a language to use
it is too much. if You all are democrats, then “Evil” would apply do
Joe Biden, not Ron de Santis. not reading your news anymore.
“Evil,” if you read the article, is from a quote. Reading is fundamental. Oh wait, that’s an arts program.
Reading is fundamental but you obviously have difficulty with reason. “Evil” may be a quote of some fool, but you Boca News decided to print the quote and use the word in your headline. Try to think.
Hmm is this article a sign of what’s to come for boca news In this election season?
I just want some juicy boca news. Not opinionated articles from anonymous sources.
I am glad my tax dollars can be used somewhere else. Especially when I am still being charged a crazy amount to see a show at one of these venues.
Right on Vera. MAGA.
Amen! This is crap news. Get off your butts and raise the money from people who give a crap. Stop taking tax payers money.
Thumbs up!
BocaNewsNow.com loses all credibility when they use childish terms to describe our Governor and his actions. It reads as though an 8th grader wrote it.
Stanley, we’d ask you to learn how to read. “Evil” is from a quote. Perhaps a better Arts education would have helped you read better.
Wah wah wah. Less gibs for institutions that shouldn’t have received tax dollars through State government aid in the first place, and get money from wealthy donors anyway.
Right, you are!
Private institutions should be privately funded.
Like private schools?
We need more money for dem programs
Reading is not part of the arts program. Fingerpainting, band, and choir are. A lot of those cuts are for tax exempt non-profits funded by wealthy donors, tax free. Paying offFlorida’s debt and giving teachers pay raises is more important.
Humanity is lessened without the arts. Without the arts we are all less human. Without arts, all that are left are robots.
Florida is becoming a vast cultural desert.
What a shame. A strong arts presence is one of the things that draws people to Florida. This is a tiny drop in the budget bucket. Politics are overriding common sense in our world. I wish it wasn’t that way.
This arbitrary decision by DeSantis will have effects most have not considered. Some of these non profits will fold. Some will have to trim down staff. More people will be looking for jobs in a field that don’t have any openings because of the cut. Programming which has been planned will be cancelled or very curtailed. Non profits just try to break even and depend on grants, donations and generating some income. Non profits are about enriching our lives in many different ways.
Every way you look at this the citizens of Florida come out as the losers. In a year of surplus funds, we should be adding to the funding of all of these critical programs, not decimating them.
My personal experience with non-profits made me stop contributing to most of them. The donations are spent inefficiently. The staff move slowly, but nobody gets fired. Don’t worry, though, because everyone gets sushi for lunch.
How many choruses and art centers do we need? Many are called NOT for Profits but many charge lots of dollars to attend their performances. I’m curious to know the salaries of the leaders of these not for profits. How do the people from Okeechobee benefit from the girls’ choir of Ft. Lauderdale. Many of us who even live in proximity are totally unaware of many of these groups and most high schools offer music and arts programs.
Does everyone’s back have to be scratched
Don, in fairness, we only published Broward and Palm Beach County. All counties in the state are being hit, so Okeechobee is having its own issues.
Totally agree with the governor. Private patrons and supporters should provide the funding for these “arts.” No reason taxpayers should be forced to support these private programs. And if the people don’t voluntarily support them, well, goodbye.
More information, please, on these organizations’ budgets before-and-after cuts! What proportions of these arts groups budgets were cut? How many people were affected? Like 2023 vs. 2024–we need more knowledge of behind the scenes.
I’m guessing that type of information will not and cannot be provided because then readers will see the big picture and might start to think that “evil” Ron De Santis is not so evil after all. And we can’t have that.
It is a shame that many Floridians are so short sighted and narrow minded that they don’t understand that fuding the cultural arts benefits all citizens, both socially and economically. Florida reaches out to encourage companies to relocate to the “Sunshine State” and yet our Governor eliminates programs left and right, merely to satisfy his constituency as an attempt to position himself for the political benefits to be gained. His limited capacity to understand the value of arts and culture is testament to the type of president he would have made, and explains why he will never achieve that office.
Most of these should be self-supporting instead of tax payer supported. Especially when the money could be better spent on other programs to help those that need help in these difficult times
Why don’t you ever ask for reader’s opinions on articles like: “Biden opens our borders to criminals, terrorists, and drug smugglers” or “Biden shuts down US oil pipelines, prices go way up” or “Biden turns tail and runs away from Afghanistan, leaving $Billions in equipment and munitions”. I guess that art programs are more important to you than the security and well being of our country!
This Boca News Now has published other left leaning comments before. If Governor DeSantis made cuts in the Florida budget he had a good reason for doing it. If I want liberal leftist garbage I will watch MSDNC.
The “Arts” should be supposed by private donations. There should be NO GOVERNMENT FUNDING our tax dollars should not be given away to those charities.
The arts are needed for a full life. If Florida has the money, some should be spent on these things. Remember from where the money came. An arts program can provide an escape from a normal workday or lead a child to wonder. Just what does he have planned for us in the future? Maybe we don’t want to know!
The Kravis Center CEO makes over $1 million per year, and the top two other positions add another over $600k. They do not need state funding. Same holds true for most of those cuts. Some, on the other hand, aren’t as lucky.
Live in a state with “no income taxes!!!” and you get no services or culture.
Sometimes, I pray all the sensational current Florida, DeSantis, & MAGA news is exaggerated. As a former Floridian, I know in my heart some intelligent, compassionate souls still occupy the state…. somewhere. Reading these anti-arts taxpayers money comments increases my dread for the future of a precious and delicate place.
History has a lot to teach us about rulers who fear the arts. But then you would have to actually read history to learn from it.
We need to remember that each year:
1. Florida’s arts and cultural industry generates $5.8 billion of economic activity, including $2.9 billion by nonprofit arts and culture organizations. The balance is generated by patrons and audiences.
2. This economic activity supports 91,270 full-time jobs and generates $3.8 billion in resident household income, and not just for arts employees.
3. Florida’s arts and cultural industry delivers $694.7 million in local, state, and federal government revenue.
People support these arts cuts while enjoying the economic benefit and quality of life they create. And let’s remember that there are a few Republicans who do not understand nor support these cuts, so I think making this a partisan thing is unproductive and distracting.
At the end of the day, if the arts generate nearly $700 million in government revenue each year, we shouldn’t begrudge granting some of that back to them. That will allow the waiters, hotel clerks, electricians, shipping company employees, retail clerks, parking attendants, and tens of thousands of others whose jobs are made possible by the arts to keep working. And every resident’s and visitor’s lives will continue to be better, because of the billions the arts pour into the economy and the way the arts keep communities human and beautiful. This is what makes the art not just an appropriate use of tax dollars, but also a smart use of tax dollars.
Too many tax payer funded programs are sufferring from TDS and are anti republican or anti semetic (etc) and cant give respect to different opposing opinions. Therefore they dont deserve my tax dollars just like college graduates shouldnt have their school loans paid on the backs of HS graduates. Support the arts if you want them! Some cant even afford the ticket prices anymore!! Wealthy elitists and their cult followers dont get it!
Wow. I am surprised at so many narrow-minded, short-sighted and immature comments. Arts and culture are signs of a successful and enlightened society. It is what we strive for. Something creative and amazing that makes you think. As a former Floridian who wants to retire there, I am appalled by the cuts and these comments.
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