Governor Ron DeSantis chose to tear apart Florida’s budget, and so far, the impacts have devastated residents in the state. The Republicans have chosen to slash budgets from arts to healthcare and vital services that people rely on every day.
So far, he has stripped more than $32 million, primarily for the arts and culture sector, from the state’s budget amid constraints in the failing state.
Arts and Culture Funding
So far, Gov. DeSantis has cut more than $32 million from arts and culture funding in the state. The result is more than 700 organizations statewide that will need to cancel afterschool programs and community events.
Cultural spaces like museums, theatres, and cultural festivals have all been shut down or drastically scaled back. The attack on Florida’s cultural heritage and creative expression is just another item on the Republican’s chopping block.
Public Libraries
It’s no secret that Florida is one of the states leading the charge on book bans and information control. Another way that the Republican government is planning on manipulating the spread of information in their state is to cut back essential services and funding for public libraries.
For decades, the library has been a safe space for people of all socio-economic statuses to rest, commune with like-minded individuals, and absorb information or learn a new skill. Now, the reductions threaten access to free internet, books, education programs, and literary incentives. The cuts mean that knowledge will remain an item that only the wealthier classes can afford.
Recent Book Burning
The Herald-Tribune recently exposed Sarasota’s New College, once a liberal arts school that became a hub for well-funded, ultra-conservative DeSantis supporters, for dumping thousands of library books.
“These messages are coming from DeSantis’s appointed and approved leaders, and the governor should just go ahead and admit he wants to be the dictator that Trump wants to be because that’s what this is,” said the Democratic state congresswoman Yvonne Hayes Hinson.
Environmental Protection
In the past year, Ron DeSantis has single-handedly stripped climate change initiatives from the state, which is facing immediate consequences. He even went so far as to ban the phrase “climate change” from the state legislature.
New cuts have been imposed on environmental protection, conservation projects, pollution control, and wildlife protection. This rollback will likely immediately affect Florida’s fragile ecosystem, which is situated between rising ocean tides and delicate swamps.
Education
It has been said that education and critical thinking are the enemy of totalitarian control. Not that anyone has argued that DeSantis sees himself as a dictator, but he has surely reduced the ability of regular Floridians to secure a free and quality education.
Drastic budget cuts have recently been made in public schools across the state. The consequences have resulted in larger classroom sizes, reduced teacher salaries, and extracurricular activities. Schools with less funding diminish education quality almost immediately; kids can’t learn in chaotic environments.
Healthcare Services
Another cut that will put regular families in jeopardy are massive cuts for services for low-income people, seniors, and individuals with disabilities.
Access to medical care is being compromised across the country all the time. The pay system in place ensures that only some people have access to good quality care while others need to go without and put their bodies at risk.
Mental Health Programs
Mental health services are also being decimated across the state. The reduced support for families and individuals struggling with mental illness is rising due to several issues in the state.
The cuts to mental health services will likely lead to increased burdens on emergency services and healthcare providers. When cities and states have ample mental health care, there are less people on the streets needing emergency help.
Infrastructure Projects
Many people note that infrastructure like roads and bridges in Florida looks a little worse for wear.
Although places all over the state are in desperate need of updates and improvements, DeSantis has instead chosen to cut funding for road maintenance, public transportation improves, and deteriorating roads.
Community Development Grants
Large reductions in community development grants will impact local projects that are aimed at improving neighborhoods and small businesses.
For many communities, economic health and growth depend on government funding and investment.
State Parks
It’s hard to imagine a government that opposes the upkeep of state parks; however, this is exactly where the Republican senate will be slashing funds.
Florida is home to several different biodiverse ecosystems, including stunning beaches state parks, and at-risk wildlife. Now, the budget cuts could lead to the degradation of natural resources and decreased opportunities for residents and tourists to take part in natural splendor.
Veteran Services
Programs that support veterans are under fire and are facing massive budget cuts in Florida. These cuts will reduce necessary access to vital services like healthcare, housing, and job training.
This plan will immediately negatively affect the well-being of those who served and made sacrifices for our country.
Senior Services
Seniors across the country depend on government services for things like transportation, healthcare, and meals.
The reduction in care for seniors can lead to issues like isolation, health degradation, and even death in some cases.
Justifying the Cut
DeSantis vetoed grants to 700 groups and organizations, justifying the decision by stating that allocating $7,369 of state money to Tampa Fringe, a 10-day festival with a strong message of inclusivity, was “inappropriate.”
“When I see money being spent that way, I have to be the one to stand up for taxpayers and say: ‘You know what, that is an inappropriate use of taxpayer dollars,’” DeSantis said at a press conference.
Protecting and Harming Taxpayers
This move canceled almost the entirety of Florida’s already slim funding to the arts, denying much-needed dollars to diverse groups that include youth orchestras, choirs, museums, art galleries, dance troupes, zoos, cinemas, and community theaters.
It makes little sense why DeSantis sees these programs, which offer performances, exhibitions, and jobs for local taxpayers, as harmful to those who are served by the programs.
Tightening Programs and Salaries
“It’s going to be a combination of everything, from tightening our programming and salaries, and going to our patrons, once again, for donations,” said Margaret Ledford, artistic director of City Theater Miami, a small performing arts group that focuses on presenting short-form plays to middle schoolers.
Due to the cuts, her group, with two full-time and three part-time employees, lost 6% of its annual budget, which roughly translates to $47,000.
Museums Lose the Most
The Tampa Museum of Art, Fort Lauderdale’s Museum of Science and Discovery, and Miami’s Pelican Harbor seabird station all lost about $500,000 each. The effects of these cuts are yet to be known.
Many believe that the governor’s actions against the arts are purely political, contributing to his well-documented targeting of minority groups.
Speaking Out
Some people, like Margaret Murray, the chief executive of the non-profit arts agency Creative Pinellas, believe that this latest action from the governor is “incredibly disheartening.”
“Arts money does so much more than allow us to enjoy a performance or visit a museum, and now is the time to invest more heavily, rather than less, in our cultural community,” she said in a statement.
Arts Still Have a Voice
“According to a recent report by the Florida Cultural Alliance, every $1 spent on the arts generates $9 in economic activity. Unfortunately, there is little recourse to reverse the state’s decision, but we do still have a voice,” Murray continued.
Left with no state funding, many of these non-profit programs will struggle to find the funding they need to operate in a state that is unwilling to support them.
Supporting Arts in Local Communities
Murray urges local communities to support those facing economic woes after DeSantis’s funding cuts.
“Please continue supporting the artists and arts organizations. Now is the time to buy that piece of artwork or purchase tickets to the play you recently heard about. Collectively, we can amplify our advocacy for the arts and make our voices heard,” Murray writes.
The Small Group Who Approved the Cut
Not everyone who aligns with DeSantis politically agrees with the state governor’s decision to cut funding from the budget. Some in the Republican-dominated Florida legislature that helped craft the $117.5 billion state budget earlier this year said that the governor trimmed almost $1 billion off of the budget.
Those politicians who gave their approval for Desantis’s trimmings belonged to a 15-member advisory body hand-picked by the governor.
The Cut Doesn’t Make Sense
“If we’re struggling economically, then yes, you cut programs, those that aren’t going to impact things like public safety, education, food security. You go after the line items that won’t lead to urgent problems,” Anna Eskamani, a Democratic state representative representing Orlando, said.
“But we’re not there. Florida has like $17bn in reserves, and this was $32m, a drop in the bucket compared to the budget as a whole. Now these organizations are going to have to make budget decisions, likely reduce staff, cancel programs, and reduce the events they can host.
Arts Are the First to Go
When trimming budgets, decision-makers often cut the arts first, viewing these programs as costly luxuries that enhance culture.
But when the economy needs a boost from government funding, culture is the first thing out the door.
The Same Old Playbook
“And there’s a ripple effect because the folks going to the shows are eating at the small restaurant next door, they’re buying printed materials and swag the art group is selling, they’re paying to park, there’s an entire ecosystem that revolves around arts and culture,” Eskamani notes.
“That’s why it makes no sense. It’s another DeSantis culture war, the same old playbook, just a different chapter.”
