Courtesy of United Arts Collier
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United Arts Collier
Last June, the Florida Division of Arts & Culture gave arts organizations three weeks to file applications for this year’s Florida arts & culture grants. United Arts Collier Executive Director Elysia Dawn was in Tallahassee recently to advocate for funding. She reports that 746 organizations have qualified for grants. They’re seeking $76 million. That represents .06 percent of the state’s $117.4 billion budget. Dawn says the return on investment provided by arts organizations warrants the increase she's seeking.
WGCU Local Productions
Camille Louise Goering/Florida Trident
Florida lawmakers are considering legislation to tighten regulations on the production and sale of kratom, an increasingly controversial herbal supplement made from the leaves of a Southeast Asian tree. SB 994, sponsored by Sen. Joe Gruters, and HB 1205, sponsored by Rep. Dean Black, would expand the 2023 Kratom Consumer Protection Act, which they say would help shield consumers from a dangerously unregulated and wildly volatile drug.
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Courtesy of Art Center Sarasota & Sarasota County History Center
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Art Center Sarasota
For decades, the Beaux Arts Ball was the Sarasota cultural event of the season. Art Center Sarasota is bringing it back. This year, the themed roaring 1920s costume ball will honor artistic legacy, celebrate Art Center Sarasota’s centennial anniversary, and support the future of art in Southwest Florida.
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