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Florida Leads In Cutting Funding For Arts

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

dlwhite@tampatrib.com

Published: March 31, 2009

BRANDON - America's economic woes are taking their toll on the art world - especially in the Sunshine State, say state arts agencies across the country.

The Washington-based National Assembly of State Arts Agencies reports that legislative appropriations to state arts agencies fell 3.3 percent in fiscal year 2009, and the most dramatic cuts were in Florida.

During its annual appropriations survey, the assembly discovered state arts agencies lost $11.6million in state funds after four years of increases.

In Florida last year, the state spent $701,389 on public art. In the next two cycles through 2010, the state is expected to pay nearly $655,000.

The national trend was criticized by the assembly's chief executive officer.

"The arts are worthy of continued public investment," Jonathan Katz said. "They represent part of the solution in today's troubled times. Nonprofit arts organizations, which are creating jobs at a faster rate than the for-profit sector, are being subjected to external forces that threaten their very existence."

Florida is traditionally ranked as one of the top supporters of the arts. Only New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Illinois spent more money on the arts in fiscal year 2008.

New York continues to be the country's biggest art supporter. Last year it funded arts with $49.8 million and maintained the same budget this year.

Montana spends the least on the arts. In fiscal 2008, the state spent $544,322. This year the budget was cut 15.7 percent to $459,035.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524.

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