The Economic Impact of the Arts and Historic Preservation in Palm Beach County

Jan Sjostrom, the Palm Beach Daily News (aka, The Shiny Sheet) Arts Editor, has this story today on the economic impact of the arts and historic preservation here in Palm Beach County:

     Cultural and historic preservation groups are coming off a banner year. In 2014-15, elected officials fully funded the grants recommended by the Division of Cultural Affairs, setting aside nearly $43.3 million for the purpose. Another $9.2 million went to Division of Historical Resources grants.

[and . . .]

     Not long ago, dollars were much scarcer.
     “All hell broke lose during the recession,” [emphasis added] said Frank Meiners, Florida Cultural Alliance’s lobbyist. “We got cut by 92 percent. That’s when it became necessary to say not just that the arts are an intrinsically valuable thing, but that they bring tourists and create jobs.”

Look no further than the Red Cross Designer's Show House in the little City of Lake Worth to see the impact of the arts and historic preservation. For more on this, the Lake Worth "Birthday Cake Castle", read Mary Lindsey's special assignment in the Lake Worth Herald.