Funding for the arts in Florida for the 2025-2026 year hangs in the balance as lawmakers in Tallahassee continue budget talks.
At the center of the debate is a major art funding gap for the state’s Division of Arts and Culture. The House is proposing $13 million. The Senate, a much larger $39 million. The final amount must be negotiated between the two chambers.
The Cultural Council for Palm Beach County, one of the largest arts agencies in the state, is cautiously optimistic.
Jennifer Sullivan, the Cultural Council's Senior Vice President, told WLRN many arts supporters are at least reassured that funding for the arts is part of budget conversations.
“So we're very hopeful that shows again that there is a commitment to arts funding,” Sullivan said. “We aren't going to be the 50th dead last state in terms of arts and cultural funding.”
READ MORE: South Florida arts community reeling from DeSantis veto of millions of dollars in state funding
Gov. Ron DeSantis unexpectedly vetoed all of the $32 million in arts funding last year, slashing support for nearly 600 related programs. While this year brought some hopeful signs — such as a $32 million proposal in the governor's draft budget for arts and culture — legislative wrangling continues.
Last year’s veto has led many experts to describe Florida as having the lowest — or among the lowest — state arts funding levels in the country this year, even if the state is not officially ranked 50th.
“The Governor would still have veto power on any line item, but we are still feeling positive about his position on arts funding this year,” Sullivan added.
Meanwhile, Sullivan said there’s still concern over a tax proposal that could dissolve Tourist Development Agencies or require bed tax votes every eight years, which could impact “about $7 million in cultural tourism grants annually,” and reshape how agencies administer grants and other services. This could impact how large and midsize organizations apply for millions of dollars in grants.
State lawmakers have extended the legislative session until June 6th. By law, they must approve a budget before the start of the fiscal year, which begins July 1.
