TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) – The Leon County Commission voted to continue funding a Tallahassee nonprofit focused on the arts for now, but plans to discuss the issue further at a June workshop.
The decision comes after lengthy discussion at Tuesday’s commission meeting, where the issue of COCA funding took about five hours of debate.
Commission chambers were packed on Tuesday night as 50 people signed up to speak about the possible defunding of COCA, the Council on Culture and Arts.
Support poured in for keeping the nonprofit funded, with cheers erupting after a COCA representative spoke.
The item on Tuesday’s agenda would eliminate all funding currently going to COCA, with county staff recommending transferring COCA’s grant programs from the organization to the county’s Division of Tourism. The commission rejected the county staff’s proposal, but also didn’t agree to fund COCA at current levels.
County staff says bringing the funding back under county control could help save money and protect against future financial pressures, including potential impact from property tax reform.
In total, Leon County Administrator Vince Long said the county would’ve been able to save about $200,000, while Leon County Commissioner David O’Keefe pointed out the county is required by state law to spend Tourism Development Tax money on events.
Artists and community members raised concerns about defunding the non-profit. Longtime Tallahassee artist and performer Terry Galloway said kids “might feel invisible” if it weren’t for the arts.
“COCA makes Tallahassee a meaningful place for its own citizens,” she said.
COCA supporters worry Tuesday’s vote could be a death blow to the 40-year-old organization meant to support the arts in Tallahassee.
“But for the arts community, this is really a question of trust, expertise, and whether arts funding remains community driven or becomes consolidated under a tourism department whose primary mission, while important, is not arts and culture,” LeMoyne Arts administrator Carrie Gaudio said.
More Tallahassee news:
Mathieu Cavell, a Leon County spokesperson, presented on behalf of county staff. He said one cent of all Tourism Development Tax (TDT) money goes to arts and culture. All of that, Cavell said, has gone to COCA, while every other county oversees their own program.
Cavell said the county government oversees sports tourism grants and said the arts should be the same.
He also said COCA receives the most funding out of any non-profit the county funds, including Bond Community Health and the FAMU pharmacy.
Cavell said COCA could live on after Tuesday’s vote. “The decision before the board does not end COCA,” he said. “This has (only) been part of their portfolio since 2014.”
Kerri Post, the head of Visit Tallahassee said TDT must be used for tourism. “Local attendees are not visitors,” Post said.
Post said the county doles out $2.1 million for cultural grants, but only $800,000 for sports and special events. She said 80% of COCA’s budget comes from the county.
Commission Chair Christian Caban suggested bringing this back for a workshop. “I don’t know that I can support option one or two without more information,” Caban said.
Commissioner Rick Minor said option one would end COCA, despite what staff believes, while Commissioner Bill Proctor said they shouldn’t bind themselves to spending when revenue might be cut if property taxes are slashed.
“Not that we’re not committed to art,” Proctor said. “But our first priority is to a balanced budget.”
Commissioner O’Keefe noted that the county does review the applications that go before COCA. “Let’s not pretend we don’t have any accountability or oversight,” he said.
The vote was 5-1.
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, county commissioners voted to advance a proposal to get rid of its minority and women owned small businesses program.
The vote was 5-2, with Proctor and O’Keefe against.
The Minority, Women & Small Business Enterprise (MWSBE) program is administered by a joint city-county office. Commissioner Bill Proctor previously said the city and county governments need to be compliant with the new law by Jan. 1 2027, however, he hopes a judge will rule it “unconstitutionally vague” before then.
To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Nextdoor and X (Twitter).
Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here. Please include the article’s headline in your message.
Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here to get started.
Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.