The Cost of Cutting Culture: Why Arts Funding Matters in Volusia County

How Arts and Culture Support the Local Economy

Volusia County didn’t make a tough budget decision when it cut arts funding last year. It made a bad one.

The council eliminated $611,758 in arts and cultural grants from a $1.4 billion budget, arguing the money should instead go toward core services like infrastructure. Sidewalks were specifically mentioned.

But look at the scale. That money barely funds a meaningful stretch of sidewalk, while arts investments generate economic activity and help make Volusia County a place people want to live and visit.

Consider the IMAGES Festival in New Smyrna Beach. In 2025, it drew more than 50,000 people, including thousands of visitors from outside Volusia County. They ate at restaurants, stayed in hotels and vacation rentals, and spent money at local businesses.

Even using conservative assumptions, the economics are compelling. If half of those attendees were visitors and spent an average of $100 each, that’s $2.5 million in direct spending flowing through our local economy.

The county’s investment in IMAGES? Just over $30,000.

Would you invest $30,000 in an event capable of generating millions in local economic activity? Of course you would.

Research from the Florida Division of Arts and Culture and Americans for the Arts has repeatedly found that arts and cultural activity supports jobs, drives spending, and generates tax revenue.

So why cut it?

Because it was easier to target something labeled “non-essential” than make harder decisions about a $1.4 billion county budget. It was political theater disguised as fiscal responsibility.

I agree that Volusia County should scrutinize spending and cut waste. But responsible budgeting means understanding the difference between an expense and an investment.

We should cut the fat from the government—not programs that strengthen our communities, support local businesses, improve quality of life, and generate an economic return for taxpayers.

Political advertisement paid for and approved by Bryon White for Volusia County Council, District 3.