Nancy Doyal is looking at the big picture, which means the St. Pete Beach art czar might have to fire herself after 18 months on the job.
The Florida Legislature, reacting to the voter demands, is almost certain to order local governments to reduce property taxes. No one knows for sure which programs are most vulnerable to the cuts, but arts programs have historically been the first to suffer reductions in local funding.
“If you put the job of a policeman on one side and my job on another, which one are you going to chose?” said Doyal, 46, who runs the Don Vista Cultural Arts Center, the only arts center in St. Pete Beach.
“If I were the city manager, I might make the same decision,” she said.
The city of St. Pete Beach has spent two years trying to cultivate its vast art community. It renovated the Don Cultural Arts Center at 3300 Pass-a-Grille Way. It increased the number of venues for artists to sell their work. It hired Doyal to serve an official liaison between the city and local artists.
Now with the Legislature ordering tax cuts, St. Pete Beach artists worry their progress will stop if support from the city dries up.
The city manager is estimating a $650,000 cut across the board and has asked the St. Pete Beach Recreation Department to shave off $58,000 of its $270,000 budget in the next fiscal year, which begins October 1. As of now, the city has not finalized the cuts, but Doyal is hoping the arts center budget of $100,000 will remain mostly intact.
The city has become a “tremendous” asset, said Libit Jones, 52, former president of the Suntan Art Center, a nonprofit community group that has organized festivals and art markets in St. Pete Beach since 1963.
“(Suntan Art) can’t afford to pay anyone to sit at the center daily,” she said. “The fact that we are able to house our group there rent-free makes much of what we do possible.”
Four years ago the city invested nearly $600,000 to transform the cultural center into a welcoming space. That project was completed in 2006. Thanks to the investment, local artists have more space to showcase their work, Jones said.
Now, artists who sell their work through the arts center give 10 percent of their earnings to Suntan Art Center and 15 percent to the city as a commission. That’s a good deal compared with most commercial galleries, which often take a 50 percent commission.
“We’re trying to create a place in the city for emerging artists who can’t afford $200 booth fees and high commissions,” Doyal said.
Over the last year 15 artists have sold about $4,000 worth of work.
And yet, the Suntan Art Center cannot accommodate all the artists who wish to display their work.
“This place seems to attract artists. It’s extremely inspirational,” said Markus Lehtovirta, 38, a St. Pete Beach resident and a member of the board of directors for Suntan Art. Lehtovirta owns Island Time, an outdoor custom furniture business, and hires local artists to paint his creations.
Although a reduction in property taxes will help him personally, he worries that his business will suffer if the city cuts funding to the arts.
“I am one of the only artists on the beach whose sole source of income is from his artwork, and I have a family to think of,” he said. “If the city starts taking money from the arts and Suntan is affected, how will I showcase my work?”
This month after heated debate, the state Legislature passed a $31.6 billion tax cut, the largest in Florida’s history. The cut means a “rollback” of budgets for local governments. Voters will decide if more budget cuts are to come in January.
In the past fiscal year the city of St. Pete Beach has seen a return of $3,000 from Suntan and next year Doyal expects that number to double. All members will have to purchase $5 “rec card” on top of their $36 membership fee. A new community center, at 7701 Boca Ciega Drive, will host art markets every Saturday.
Local artists will pay $30 booth fees. Doyal expects the city will earn approximately $600 a week through these fees alone, not counting any sales commissions.
Still some artists are feeling the crunch, expecting the arts will be the first thing to go if more cuts are on the horizon.
“It is a little nerve-racking because we’re all just waiting right now to see what happens,” said Rita Gould, Suntan board member and 20-year Pass-a-Grille resident. “Suntan, however, has been going strong for over 40 years. We were here before these cuts and we’ll be here long after.”
Doyal, however, is hoping her artistic colleagues will paint in that silver lining.
“You can’t really compete with cutting other city services on an emotional level,” she said. “Even if my position goes away at least I’ve put down the foundation that I’m sure will carry on.”
