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THERE ARE (?)

DAYS LEFT IN

FLORIDA'S 2025

LEGISLATIVE SESSION!

STATE LEGISLATIVE SESSION SCHEDULE

The 2025 Legislative session will extend beyond Friday, May 2nd. Extended session dates are yet to be announced.

STATE ARTS FUNDING - no direct calls to action. We are awaiting conference committee announcements to determine where to direct messaging.

BILL OF CONCERN AFFECTING LOCAL ARTS FUNDING - if you have the bandwidth to act on anything, prioritize sharing concerns regarding HB1221 and HB7033 with your Representatives.

NATIONAL ARTS SURVEY - it only takes 6 minutes

FEDERAL ARTS ADVOCACY - make federal appropriations request for National Endowment for the Arts by 6PM May 16.

FINAL REMINDER

Tell artists affected by hurricanes Helene or Milton.

The deadline to apply for a $2,000 grant through the Southern Arts Relief & Recovery Fund is May 7. Apply while you still can: [link to grant application]

THE FLORIDA CHANNEL CAPITOL UPDATE - NIGHTLY

Monday, April 28 installment reports that Senate President expects to extend session and finish budget by next week or the following week.

STATE ARTS & CULTURE GRANT FUNDING COMPARISON AS OF 4.28.25

Passing Applications: those that received a score of 80 or above

Recommended Applications: those that were submitted by the Secretary of State to the Legislature (those scoring 95 and above in Cultural and Museum and Culture Builds Florida categories, all passing in Cultural Facility and Cultural Endowment applications)

Senate ATD Subcommittee: applications intended for funding from the recommended applications

House TED Subcommittee: applications intended for funding from recommended applications

Proviso: additional language attached to the bill providing for additional funding / clarification

The Senate ATD and House TED numbers are what will be referenced when the Legislature goes into "Conference" (date and committee members TBA)

BILL OF CONCERN AFFECTING LOCAL ARTS FUNDING

These bills are very likely to make their way to becoming law.

IN THE HOUSE

If House bill 1221 passes, it will gut entirely, 62 of Florida's 67 counties' ability to market themselves to visitors as and their unique natural, historical and cultural assets. Why does it matter to the arts and culture community? MANY communities' destination marketing agencies support the arts and other cultural assets with funding derived from the Tourists Development Tax.

If House bill 991 passes, local communities will lose an extremely valuable and specific tool intended to combat blight and improve the safety and aesthetics of specific taxing districts identified as being of historic significance or at risk. VERY often, by means provided by this revenue source, the creative community is called upon to beautify and occupy these districts.

If House bill 7033 retains current TDT language, it too, will gut entirely, 62 of Florida's 67 counties' ability to market themselves to visitors as and their unique natural, historical and cultural assets.

IN THE SENATE

Senate bill 1664 will require that counties and Tourist Development Councils to interrupt the work for which they were established and redirect funds to conduct referendums every 8 years.....and be at a very real risk of loosing this revenue stream that comes from non-residents.

If Senate bill 1242 passes, local communities will lose an extremely valuable and specific tool intended to combat blight and improve the safety and aesthetics of specific taxing districts that have been identified as being of historic significance or abandonment risk.

Senate bill 7034 includes a cap of $50 million on the use of local Tourist Development Tax revenue for destination marketing.

Contact your Representatives

Regarding HB1221 - ask them to abandon this bill wholly and take the Senate's companion version. Tell them how devastating this bill would be and how important local tourism funds are to the arts, how they were a sustaining source for many after last year's state funding setback and how this bill undermines local communities' ability to promote and preserve their own aesthetic and cultural uniqueness and design their own economic future.

Regarding HB991 - ask that Representatives not make this bill a priority. Point to the positive impact of CRAs in the context of local arts; beautification, animating abandon districts, restoring property values and promoting public safety.

Regarding HB7033 - ask that they remove any references to FS 125.0104 -Tourist development tax; procedure for levying; authorized uses; referendum; enforcement....essentially pages 8-41. Explain that MANY communities' support the arts and other cultural assets with funding derived from the Tourists Development Tax.

Contact your Senator

Regarding SB1664 - ask them to consider excluding the Tourist Development Tax from this bill and resist the House's companion (HB1221)

Regarding SB1242 - ask that Senators not make this bill a priority. Point to the positive impact of CRAs in the context of local arts; beautification, animating abandon districts, restoring property values and promoting public safety.

Regarding SB7034 - ask them to resist the House's language related to Tourist Development Tax in HB7033 and consider removing lines 470-473 of page 17 limiting the amount of tourist development tax that may be spent on destination marketing.

NATIONAL ARTS SURVEY

FEDERAL ARTS ADVOCACY

Many Local Arts Agencies are partnering with Americans for the Arts on the distribution of a very short National Pulse Survey to better understand how recent policy developments—at the federal and state levels—are affecting the health of arts and culture organizations.

This survey is designed to capture the real-time effects these changes are having on your work and your community.

Please Complete the Short Survey Today (or by the deadline, May 9th): SURVEY LINK

It's efficient and accessible.

• It only takes about 6 minutes to complete
• A Spanish-language version is built into the survey to expand accessibility.

It Matters:

• It provides insight into the consequences of federal and state policy changes.

• The survey data are collected will inform Americans for the Arts' free, public-facing dashboard so users can explore results by geography, organization type, artistic discipline, and more.

• If enough responses are collected, they will be able to provide customized results for local communities! - so it's important that you share this with your fellow creatives and get them to respond.

If you have the bandwidth, time and inclinations, there are two actions you can take.

One: Make Appropriations Request

There is a deadline of May 16, 6PM to make appropriations requests for the National Endowment for the Arts.

The Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies, Committee needs to hear from current and future stakeholders.

If your congressperson (find your congressperson) has an appropriations request page that is still taking submissions, complete their form (guidelines provided) and submit. If they do not have a submission page (or they are no longer accepting submissions), you may write their arts staff requesting funding support using the provided letter.

Two: Ask your Congressperson to sign on to the "Dear Colleague" letter to the Chair and Vice Chair of the Interior, Environment and Related Agencies Committee. (and thank Rep Salazar for co-authoring the letter!)

Advocacy among congresspeople is very effective and as committees do not have delegates from every state, this is the way to relay your message to decision makers.

We have built a Federal Advocacy Resource Folder containing

• Appropriations request form guidelines
• Letter requesting funding for NEA
• "Dear Colleague" letter
• "Thank you, Rep Salazar" letter
• Congressional Directory including arts staff contacts

Florida Cultural Alliance is also supported in part by grant funding from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. Learn more www.southarts.org.