In historic first, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis vetoes most arts funding in Florida

[Zorro]

Florida arts and culture organizations, still struggling to recover after the COVID pandemic, took another unexpected financial hit when Gov. Ron DeSantis eliminated most state funding for cultural programs.

DeSantis vetoed nearly $1 billion from the $116.5 billion state budget before signing it in Tampa on Wednesday, including nearly $90 million the legislature earmarked for 669 different arts and culture projects and for special line item programs.

It is the first time that no money will be allocated for arts and culture programs by the state.

“It is devastating. Unfortunate is too light a word,” said Richard Russell, general director of the Sarasota Opera, which stands to lose about $70,000 that was expected from the state grant program. “It is a lack of recognition of the economic impact that we have in our community and how much revenue we generate for the state.”

https://www.heraldtribune.com/story/entertainment/arts/2024/06/14/desantis-vetoes-most-florida-arts-funding-for-first-time-in-history/74087269007/

There's plenty of taxpayer money for school vouchers to parents to pay for their kids attending religious charter schools, though...

[Arne]

1. Governor Ass Wipe has no idea how huge the backfire will be.

Florida man and Florida woman are actually artist of
one form or another.
De Santis will be feathered and tarred for this.
Just how stupid is he?

[Biophilic]

2. I surely hope so. He just keeps decimating this state.

[jimfields33]

6. He knows he's term limited.

[I am Neo]

28. term limited but...

I believe his wife will run when his term is over.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. I hope you're right.

There are some who will be fine not funding anything, but their own pockets.

[Arne]

13. I'm in a city that's very snobbish and wealthy.

The arts center and downtown art shows are
important to everyone.
They really want to defund PBS and corrupt GCU.
(Gulf Coast University)

[Baitball Blogger]

15. Would that be in a Democratic district?

[Arne]

18. Not at all.

This is Rick 'the thief' Scott's area.

[onecaliberal]

26. The stupid is strong in this one.

[SARose]

3. About what I expected

From white trash who eats pudding with their fingers.

[jimfields33]

5. Who does that?

[SARose]

17. DeSantis

Pudding

[jimfields33]

4. The federal government gives art grants. Hopefully all will be qualified for those.

I’m surprised our budget is 116 billion. That’s quite a big amount for one state.

[Phoenix61]

7. First the schools then the arts.

Right from the fascist playbook.

[CanonRay]

8. Working towards a dystopian hellscape evert day.

That should be DeSantis' motto

[no_hypocrisy]

9. Til Eulenspiegel's at it again.

[MuseRider]

33. Ho ho

perfect!

[twodogsbarking]

10. To all good people in Florida. Sorry about your Governor. You got the shit end of the shtick.

[Timeflyer]

11. So kind! Don't worry, there's a lot of us fighting to restore FL, stop the privatization of schools, hospitals,

stop corrupt developers with money buying local politicians and bulldozing the environment, restore women's reproductive rights (yes on Amendment 4 in November). But some people move here because we have such a POS MAGA governor and legislature--hard to understand. But then, Scientology HQ is right up the road in Clearwater, apparently doing find. So--cults. But we will fight on.

[Arne]

16. I'd completely forgotten about them.

They seem to be under the radar.
Still have the Jehovah's come to my door.
I like them until they say, 'The End is Nigh'.
I'm afraid it may be true.

[Botany]

19. So DeSantis is using the money to pay for "good Christian education" instead of arts and culture?

What a complete shit. I hope Florida goes really blue this year.

[Skittles]

37. he LOVES him some GROOMING, as long as it is RELGIOUS GROOMING

he is one SICK POS

[Botany]

39. So some 15 year old socially awkward teen who enjoys making pottery will have that taken from ....

…. him or her but he or she can learn about Jesus and the good side of slavery thanks
to DeSantis and the right wing bull shit machine. I hope Florida goes very blue this fall
because women’s health care … abortion…. and marijuana are on the ballot too. These
people need to be slapped down hard because they are cruel venial shits.

[Skittles]

40. it's heartbreaking what is happening to Florida

but where I live, Abbott is competing with DeSantis to see how can hump Trump the hardest

[Botany]

41. Where I live Ohio we have our shits too.

Gym Jordan & J.D. Vance along with some other mouth breathers like some Congressperson
who just tried to debate medical science and evolutionary biology with Dr. Fauci in front of a
some Congressional Committee.

We are up against an industrial level misinformation machine.

[Skittles]

42. it is disturbing

still, I tell myself these folk have access to the same information we do - too many of them seem to approve of the garbage they hear

[Botany]

43. I think that down deep they (or at least a vast majority of them) know it is all made up bullshit but for ...

…. almost 2 generations now they have a central question and that is; Does what they say or do makes
“the libs” sad and or angry? Along with their being racist, sexist, and anti intellectual shits. Rush Limbaugh tapped into these warped thinking shits from the get go and it made him millions from
rich right wingers who understood that for them to keep power they need lots of dumb ass mouth
breathers who are pissed off “@ the libs.”

[OldBaldy1701E]

44. And, that is the issue.

They want this. They dream of this. Their entire existence is about causing pain and suffering to as many people that they don't like as they can.

And, we allow them to call themselves 'human beings'... they disgust me. That is why any pain caused to a rethug is okay with me. They cause more than any of their 'elite' have and will ever suffer.

[elleng]

20. DUH!

[Charlie Chapulin]

21. DeSantis and his ilk

are not only amoral, but acultural, too. Philistines.

[SpankMe]

22. $90-million for arts out of a $116.5-billion budget is 0.077%

That's 77 one-thousandths of one percent.

If we, as a society, won't spare such a pittance on arts and culture, then we aren't a society. We're soulless drones.

For a political philosophy that worries about government influence over our society and culture, the right wingers are certainly doing whatever they can to re-engineer our society in their own bizzarro image using levers of government.

[underpants]

30. Thanks. That's nothing.

I calculated it’s an average of $134,529 over 669 programs. If that opera is basically getting 1/2 of the average others obviously are getting more. That’s fine. I’d suspect it’s for kid related stuff here and there. God knows we don’t want the kids to think other than rote memorization of HIS chosen facts.

[not fooled]

38. Well, churches have paintings

So just go to church to get some culture.

[Martin68]

23. Idiot.

[2naSalit]

24. POS wants...

To be governor of shithole state of his own making.

[jalan48]

25. Florida is a Republican test case for the Orban model in the US. It appears to be succeeding there.

[twodogsbarking]

27. You still get to work you just can't enjoy things.

[Always Blue]

29. The 1st thing

The first thing that fascists do is attack art. Art is the expression of the individual and a culture and they have to shut that down.

[OldBaldy1701E]

45. Artists are usually liberal and progressive.

Therefore they have no place inside of GoGo Boots society. He is going after anyone and everyone who has ever thought a bad thing about him or anything he likes. (Such as slow, social torture, creating a society where his cronies have all the power and the rest have to shut up and be good little wage slaves, etc.)

[obamanut2012]

31. And, most of the funding for the Palm Beach Zoo in West Palm

Which everyone (I know someone very involved) is shocked by. MANY of the big Zoo boosters are $$$ retirees who vote red.

[BidenRocks]

32. Museums exist to display art.

Many cultures are ony known by their arts and crafts.
Our future selfs will be wondering wtf the apprentice was.
Pathetic!

[OldBaldy1701E]

46. Historically, art and culture are the only things that survive the test of time.

Those that are not progressive usually end up being forgotten or reviled by history and the future. Not holding my breath for this society.

[Fla Dem]

34. First he went after Disney World, now he's going after the Arts.

What a truly despicable person he is.

[Jose Garcia]

35. Cities and Counties will need to step up

[obamanut2012]

36. He also hates differently abled folks

He also vetoed 1 million to Palm Beach County for them to redo a couple hurricane shelters to make them larger and have capabilities to provide support to special needs folks.