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. <\/p>\n
The decision comes after lengthy discussion at Tuesday\u2019s commission meeting, where the issue of COCA funding took about five hours of debate.<\/p>\n
Commission chambers were packed on Tuesday night as 50 people signed up to speak about the possible defunding of COCA<\/a>, the Council on Culture and Arts. <\/p>\n Support poured in for keeping the nonprofit funded, with cheers erupting after a COCA representative spoke. <\/p>\n The item on Tuesday\u2019s agenda would eliminate all funding currently going to COCA, with county staff recommending transferring COCA\u2019s grant programs from the organization to the county\u2019s Division of Tourism. The commission rejected the county staff\u2019s proposal, but also didn\u2019t agree to fund COCA at current levels.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n In total, Leon County Administrator Vince Long said the county would\u2019ve been able to save about $200,000, while Leon County Commissioner David O\u2019Keefe pointed out the county is required by state law to spend Tourism Development Tax money on events.<\/p>\n Artists and community members raised concerns about defunding the non-profit. Longtime Tallahassee artist and performer Terry Galloway said kids \u201cmight feel invisible\u201d if it weren\u2019t for the arts. <\/p>\n \u201cCOCA makes Tallahassee a meaningful place for its own citizens,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n COCA supporters worry Tuesday\u2019s vote could be a death blow to the 40-year-old organization meant to support the arts in Tallahassee.<\/p>\n \u201cBut 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,\u201d LeMoyne Arts administrator Carrie Gaudio said.<\/p>\n More Tallahassee news: <\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Cavell said the county government oversees sports tourism grants and said the arts should be the same. <\/p>\n He also said COCA receives the most funding out of any non-profit the county funds, including Bond Community Health and the FAMU pharmacy. <\/p>\n Cavell said COCA could live on after Tuesday\u2019s vote. \u201cThe decision before the board does not end COCA,\u201d he said. \u201cThis has (only) been part of their portfolio since 2014.\u201d <\/p>\n Kerri Post, the head of Visit Tallahassee said TDT must be used for tourism. \u201cLocal attendees are not visitors,\u201d Post said.<\/p>\n 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\u2019s budget comes from the county.<\/p>\n Commission Chair Christian Caban suggested bringing this back for a workshop. \u201cI don\u2019t know that I can support option one or two without more information,\u201d Caban said. <\/p>\n Commissioner Rick Minor said option one would end COCA, despite what staff believes, while Commissioner Bill Proctor said they shouldn\u2019t bind themselves to spending when revenue might be cut if property taxes are slashed.<\/p>\n \u201cNot that we\u2019re not committed to art,\u201d Proctor said. \u201cBut our first priority is to a balanced budget.\u201d<\/p>\n Commissioner O\u2019Keefe noted that the county does review the applications that go before COCA. \u201cLet\u2019s not pretend we don\u2019t have any accountability or oversight,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The vote was 5-1.<\/p>\n Also at Tuesday\u2019s meeting, county commissioners voted to advance a proposal to get rid of its minority and women owned small businesses program. <\/a><\/p>\n The vote was 5-2, with Proctor and O\u2019Keefe against. <\/p>\n 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 \u201cunconstitutionally vague\u201d before then.<\/p>\n To keep up with the latest news as it develops, follow WCTV on Facebook<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, YouTube<\/a>, Nextdoor<\/a> <\/a>and X<\/a> (Twitter<\/a>).<\/p>\n Have a news tip or see an error? Write to us here<\/a>. Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n Be the first to see all the biggest headlines by downloading the WCTV News app. Click here<\/a> to get started.<\/p>\n Copyright 2026 WCTV. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n