Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Last Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan revealed her $2.03 billion budget proposal, boasting a fiscally modest 1.1% increase over last year’s budget. Ahead of the council Finance Committee’s first budget hearing Aug. 13, some council members expressed their intentions to aggressively slash spending in preparation for the passage of Amendment 3. If passed in November, the property tax phaseout would substantially reduce ad valorem revenue beginning in the 2027-28 fiscal year. Historically, arts and culture programs are first on the chopping block when city budgets are trimmed. We talk to the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s chief luminary about the economic importance of the arts in Jacksonville and how return on investment is affecting the city, not just in cultural spaces but in multiple sectors including retail, hospitality and tourism.
Guest: Diana Donovan, executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
Last Monday, Jacksonville Mayor Donna Deegan revealed her $2.03 billion budget proposal, boasting a fiscally modest 1.1% increase over last year’s budget. Ahead of the council Finance Committee’s first budget hearing Aug. 13, some council members expressed their intentions to aggressively slash spending in preparation for the passage of Amendment 3. If passed in November, the property tax phaseout would substantially reduce ad valorem revenue beginning in the 2027-28 fiscal year. Historically, arts and culture programs are first on the chopping block when city budgets are trimmed. We talk to the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville’s chief luminary about the economic importance of the arts in Jacksonville and how return on investment is affecting the city, not just in cultural spaces but in multiple sectors including retail, hospitality and tourism.
Guest: Diana Donovan, executive director of the Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville
