Saturday, December 9, 2017

“Arts have $345.3 million impact on county’s economy” and City of Lake Worth is cited in the Shiny Sheet.


Below is an excerpt from this article in the Palm Beach Daily News, aka The Shiny Sheet, by reporter Jan Sjostrom.

Keep in mind whilst you’re reading this news how much an impact it would be having a hotel open for business in Downtown Lake Worth hosting visitors for the Street Painting Festival, Midnight Sun Festival, PrideFest of the Palm Beaches, and Garlic Fest in the County’s John Prince Park, to name just a few festivals and events in and nearby our City.

The recent Shiny Sheet news:

The arts put money in our pockets. That’s the message behind a new economic impact study commissioned by the Cultural Council of Palm Beach County.
     The Americans for the Arts study, which used 2015 figures from 79 nonprofit Palm Beach County cultural groups and audience surveys, found that spending by the county’s cultural organizations and their audiences supported 8,237 jobs and had an economic impact of $345.3 million. The figure topped $633.4 million, when all spending by tourists who visited at least one of the county’s 19 largest cultural organizations is factored in. The cultural sector generated $33.8 million in local and state government revenue.
     Study results for Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Jupiter, Lake Worth and West Palm Beach also were released.
     “We’re going to change the story of the arts from one of charity to one of industry,” said Randy Cohen, vice president of research and policy for Americans for the Arts.

The public here in our City of Lake Worth deserves answers and they’ve been waiting long enough. Even a short press release about what is happening or not happening with our Downtown historic structure, the Gulfstream Hotel.

Start by contacting your elected officials.