Gov. Ron DeSantis approved about $18 million for arts organizations in the 2025 state budget.
It's a sharp contrast to last year's vetoes, when the governor cut $32 million in cultural funding.
However, this year's vetoes still hurt some groups — more than 700 of them. A new scoring system ranks organizations' grant applications using three markers: quality of offerings (up to 35 points), impact on the community (up to 35 points), and the organization's track record (up to 30 points).
Now, a panel scores applicants from zero to 100. Scores are then reviewed and confirmed by the Florida Council on Arts and Culture, which compiles a ranked list for the Secretary of State Cord Byrd, who submits it to the legislature.
Groups must receive an average score of 80 to be recommended for funding.
DeSantis approved state grant money for more than 180 organizations that received a score of 95 or higher.
Many groups that missed the mark had previously received grants, including Gainesville’s Dance Alive National Ballet. This year, the company ranked 17th with a score of 92.08.
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"That [losing funding] puts a burden on everybody. We are already burdened as artists. We're already burdened because we don't make a lot of money and we have to work very hard, many hours,” Dance Alive Artistic Director Kim Tuttle said.
She initially applied for a $3.5 million cultural facilities grant. Tuttle said the group lobbied in Tallahassee. Lawmakers settled on allocating $475,000 to them.
The money would have helped them build a new $7 million, 22,000-square-foot arts center with multiple dance and music studios, a black box theatre available for the community to rent, and an art gallery.
"You know, when the people in your community, in the area, really wanted [it], I think that's what hurts the most," she said.
Despite the cuts, Tuttle said the company still plans to break ground on the facility this August. So far, they've raised about $4.5 million.
DeSantis said this year’s budget continues his commitment to financial responsibility. He said this was the second consecutive year of reductions in spending.
“Since I took office in 2019, we have also tripled Florida’s Rainy-Day Fund. With this year’s additional commitment, the fund is maxed out,” he said in a press release.
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But Tuttle said the funding cuts, especially for arts organizations, are “short-sighted.”
"And it's not just this one time,” she said. “It's an overall impression I get from leadership.”
Before last year, the company had been funded by the state for four decades.
“And so in the budget last year, I thought, well, we've been funded by the state for 40 years," she said. "We probably will get something.”
But they didn’t. Last year, the governor vetoed $50,000 for Dance Alive.
And for Tuttle, this year’s veto will be much more challenging to make up.
This September, an additional $1.5 million will be allocated to organizations that scored between 85 and 94.9.
Tuttle said Dance Alive will try again next year.
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This story was produced by WUSF as part of a statewide journalism initiative funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
