When we look back, 2024 will be remembered as the Year of the Hurricanes and the Year of the Big Veto. Both events impacted residents of the bay areas in different, but still oddly similar, ways. While the effects of Hurricanes Helene and Milton were devastating to nearly everyone – indeed, we all lost something – they were immediate, and immediately obvious, while full recovery will take months, years or even longer.
Governor DeSantis, in denying every arts nonprofit in Florida the state subsidies they’d come to expect – a relatively small but essential part of their operating budgets – canceled innumerable programs that might help, inspire and/or illuminate the population.
According to a 2022 poll by the Florida Division of Arts & Culture, Florida’s arts and cultural industry generated $5.8 billion of economic activity, including $2.9 billion by nonprofit arts and culture organizations. This economic activity supports 91,270 full-time jobs and generates $3.8 billion in resident household income. Florida’s arts and cultural industry delivers $694.7 million in local, state, and federal government revenue.
The year’s top stories
Tallahassee vetoes the arts. It was the redline strike heard ‘round the world. On June 12, Florida governor Ron DeSantis removed all funding for the arts – the Cultural and Museum Grants and Cultural Facilities Grants – from the state budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year. He later said he’d vetoed the grants, $32 million worth, because he had a problem with fringe festivals, which combine cutting-edge theater, one-person shows and standup comedy. “So you’re having your tax dollars being given in grants to things like the Fringe Festival, which is like a sexual festival where they’re doing all this stuff,” he said. “How many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that?”…