Credit: Inside the MagicFloridians are revolting after Governor Ron DeSantis decided to indirectly fund Walt Disney World Resort instead of the arts.
Governor DeSantis has made a lot of changes in recent months–almost 200 laws from the latest legislative session took effect on July 1, 2024. Some, but not all, of the legislation impacted Walt Disney World Resort, including bans on intentional balloon releases, municipally-enforced breaks and water for hourly employees, and lab-grown meat.
Measures vetoed by Gov. DeSantis also changed on July 1. Out of Florida’s more than $116 billion budget, the Republican governor pulled more than $1 billion in funding from public programs in the state. The veto included taking $32 million from more than 600 art and culture projects and organizations he deemed “not appropriate.”
DeSantis didn’t veto budget measures to expand Walt Disney World Resort and refurbish the I-4 highway leading to the Central Florida Disney parks. This surprised opponents after the years-long battle between the governor and the Mouse over “Don’t Say Gay” and the dissolved Reedy Creek Improvement District.
Arts and culture activists are devastated after losing crucial funding for public programs. DeSantis specifically cited the Orlando International Fringe Theatre Festival as an example of an inappropriate organization that Florida shouldn’t finance.
“You have 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…,” Gov. DeSantis said. “It’s like, how many of you think your tax dollars should go to fund that? Not very many people would do that.”
However, the veto also took state funding from unrelated, family-friendly organizations like ZooTampa at Lowry Park and the Florida Children’s Museum.
On Sunday, leaders from four leading fringe festivals in Florida told The Herald-Tribune that they’d received an outpouring of support after DeSantis’s controversial decision.
“It’s so unfortunate that people potentially heard it referred to as a sex festival,” said Trish Parry, who founded the Tampa International Fringe Festival. “Fringe festivals are an excellent gateway to the performing arts because it’s really cool, modern, edgy work that people can get behind more easily without having a heavy institutional theater background.”
Parry recalled that an 18+ show, “Capt. Havoc and the Big-Titty Bog Witches,” drew more attention to this year’s festival than usual. However, she reiterated that “no state funding” goes directly to artists to fund their projects. Instead, it’s given directly to the organization to put on the event.
The fringe festival founder noted that the crudely-named show featured inappropriate language but was strictly labeled for adults only. “It was really just a regular comedy, a satire,” she told The Herald-Tribune.
Bill Taylor, who launched the Fringe Fort Myers Festival, said DeSantis needed to educate himself on the value fringe brings to participants and audience members: “Fringe is for everybody. That’s the important part of it.”
He said organizations should continue applying for state funding, no matter what DeSantis says. However, he expressed concern that Florida would eventually try to censor art.
“I have a feeling next year, the state is going to ask arts organizations to sign some type of agreement to get funding that they won’t do x, y or z, but the description of x, y and z will be vague enough to scare everyone off to do anything on the edge,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t sign something like that.”
Do you agree with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’s decision to defund the arts? Share your thoughts with Inside the Magic in the comments.