Aaron Collins on the Loss of Funding for Brevard Arts

As reported in Florida Today: The grant funding in question comes from revenue generated by the county's 5% tourist development tax on hotel rooms, vacation rentals and other short-term rentals, and not from local property taxes. County commissioners decided instead to move the $530,000 in proposed grants into a budget that would help pay for beach lifeguards and promote the safety of Brevard's lifeguard-protected beaches, saying it will be part of the Space Coast Office of Tourism's marketing efforts to attract tourists to the local beaches. They also said they want to move another $900,000 in tourism cultural fund money expected to remain after the current budget year ends to the lifeguard program. A 2022 study produced for the BCA by Florida Institute of Technology economics professor Michael Slotkin estimated that Space Coast arts and cultural organizations were responsible for $122.74 million in annual sales, 1,541 direct and spinoff jobs, and $40.98 million in annual payroll. The study estimated that 19.3% of the 1.71 million arts and cultural attendees at Brevard venues that year were from outside Brevard.