Florida and the Arts

At the end of March, Governor Rick Scott approved the state’s $88.7 billion budget for fiscal year 2018-19. Unfortunately, the final budget included only $2.6 million for cultural grants to be distributed among just 489 organizations across Florida—90 percent less funding than the current fiscal year. This year’s funding level moves Florida from 10th to 48th in per-capita appropriations for the arts for the nation’s third largest state.