The Tampa Bay Fringe Festival and the Orlando Fringe Festival recently released an open letter to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, offering to relinquish their approved grants for the 2025 fiscal year. The festivals, which were slated to receive approximately $110,538 in total, are requesting that the governor redirect the funds to support arts and culture initiatives across the state.
The proposal follows DeSantis's decision to veto $32 million in arts funding in June, citing "sexual" festivals in Orlando and Tampa as the reason. Specifically, DeSantis referenced a show titled "Captain Havoc and the Big-Titty Bog Witches" at Tampa's Fringe Festival. However, the Fringe producers countered that the majority of the funding is used for operational expenses, such as office overhead, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) accommodations, "and staff salaries.".. rather than directly supporting individual artists.
Fringe producers pointed out that only 0. 002% of the vetoed funding was allocated to the Fringe Festivals, arguing that canceling the entire arts funding due to an objection with one festival is disproportionate. They emphasized that artists earn their income primarily through ticket sales... with 100% of advertised ticket prices going directly to the artists.
FRINGE intends to re-apply for state grants in future years and is seeking a collaborative approach to better understand the role of arts in the state. The open letter illustrates the festivals' willingness to work with the governor and the Florida government to find a solution that benefits the arts community as a whole.
The proposal has sparked a renewed debate about the importance of arts funding in the state, "with many artists and organizations calling for increased support for creative initiatives." The information in this article was first published in the Tampa Bay Times.
Read more: Found hereOn Thursday, the Tampa and Orlando Fringe festivals released an open letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis, formally offering to give up their approved grants for the 2025 fiscal year. The nonprofit International Fringe Festival of Central Florida was slated to receive $102,629, with Tampa's festival expecting significantly less, $7,909.
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