ICYMI, in late June, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis blamed his $32 million Florida arts veto on “sexual festivals,” calling out fringe theater festivals in Tampa and Orlando. The two festivals wrote a letter to the governor in response, offering to forgo their 2025 state grants if the state would reverse its veto. Although excellently-worded, it didn’t change anything. Now arts organizations across the state are doing their best to find creative ways to replace their state funding, including Tampa Fringe, which designed “Not a Sex Festival” t-shirts and launched a summer fundraiser where they raised $13,197. And though it’s not exactly the $15,678 the Florida State legislature approved, it proves that more than a few people value Tampa Fringe’s contributions to the Tampa arts scene. tampafringe.org—Jennifer Ring
This article appears in Best of The Bay 2024.
