State lawmakers hear directly from Pinellas arts leaders

At Friday’s Pinellas Legislative Delegation Meeting, state lawmakers heard from county arts leaders and supporters about the effects of Governor Ron DeSantis’ June veto of all arts funding in Florida.

Chaired by Senator Darryl Rouson, the Tallahassee delegation included Senators Nick DiCeglie, Ed Hooper and Ben Albritton, and State Representatives Lindsay Cross, Berny Jacques and Kimberly Berfield.

Because their prospective legislative budget requests for 2025-26 must be submitted by Oct. 15, Rouson explained, delegation members needed to learn, from their constituents, just how badly their organizations were hit by the DeSantis veto.

The session took place on the Seminole campus of St. Petersburg College. Celeste Davis, Director of Arts, Culture & Tourism for the City of St. Petersburg, said Mayor Welch and the City Council had agreed – on Thursday – to distribute $655,000 between local artists and arts organizations.

Speakers were allotted three minutes at the microphone, and so all cases were stated succinctly.

Margaret Murray, CEO of the arts support organization Creative Pinellas, introduced a supporting set of figures from a survey conducted by Americans for the Arts. The arts, she explained, comprise the 4^th largest economy in the State of Florida, and their economic impact is substantial.

She recalled the day DeSantis’ $32 million statewide veto was announced. “I spent the day calling to check in with our arts leaders,” Murray said. “What I heard in call after call was the fear of having to lay off dedicated team members; the worry about cutting community programs that impact our residents and children so much; and the frustration that despite the arts being such an important part of our state economy, funding was summarily taken away.”

Other speakers included Dali Museum Executive Director Hank Hine, St. Petersburg Arts Alliance CEO Terry Marks, Academy of Ballet Arts founder Suzanne Pomerantzeff, Warehouse Arts District Association representative John Gattis and Matthew Countryman, owner of the Clay Co-op (formerly Charlie Parker Pottery).

Longtime arts supporter advocate and board member Paul Carder, who was part of the steering committee that planned and executed the City’s 2021 Comprehensive Arts Strategy, cut right to the chase. “The governor’s veto pen has made a difficult situation dire,” he told the delegation. “It’s clear that the arts drive the economy, as well as improving the quality of life for our residents.”

With such dramatic funding losses, Carder pointed out, “We lose the innovation that a well-funded arts community loses. There’s also a chronic need for capacity-building; most artists and arts organizations do not have the funds to invest in people, or technology, or marketing – so their efficiency, their growth and their economic impact is stunted.”

DiCeglie pointed out that everyone on the dais already had a proven track record of support for the arts in their districts; the veto, he reminded his audience, was at the executive level.

“We understand the economic impact that comes along with supporting the arts,” DeCeglie said, “and this delegation meeting is a another way for me, personally as a State Senator, to reinforce my support for the arts. That’s why I’m here; that’s why it’s important for me to hear the feedback.”