No taxpayer-funded hate in the arts in Florida

Miami Herald

a day ago

A new law banning public funding for organizations that promote hate, including antisemitism, passed the Florida Legislature and was signed into law last week by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Sponsored. by Sen. Tom Leek (R-Ormond Beach) and Rep. Hillary Cassel (R-Fort Lauderdale), House Bill 1519 and Senate Bill 1678 will stop taxpayer money from going to people or organizations that boycott Israel. It also expands Florida's existing anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions, or 'BDS' law, by including academic boycotts, mandating divestment from boycotting entities.
Florida will no longer allow public funds to support museums, schools or other cultural and educational institutions that promote hate speech in any form. Institutions that continue to allow or promote hate may see their public funding rescinded — for up to 10 years.
As a Florida resident for more than 25 years, I have always stood up for gay rights, free speech and especially for the arts. But as a Jew — like too many of my fellow Jews — I was not fully aware of how rampant antisemitism had become in creative spaces.
Since the brutal Oct. 7 attacks against Israelis, antisemitism has surged in the United States, including physical assaults and online attacks aimed at Jews and Zionists.
For the first time in their lives, my children experienced antisemitism — being singled out in public as Jews and subjected to Holocaust jokes from classmates. This ancient hatred has found its way into artistic institutions, often denying Jewish and Zionist artists the opportunity to perform, exhibit, or share their work with the public.
Many of these rejections come under the guise of neutrality: 'We just don't want to be part of the controversy,' they say — even when the art itself has no political content. But what they are really saying is, 'Because you're Jewish, we're holding you accountable for what is happening in the Middle East.'
Worse still, some institutions actively lend their platforms to artists who use their voices to promote hatred toward Jews.
Artists have the right to free speech. This is the United States, and freedom of speech is enshrined in our Constitution. But that right does not extend to taxpayer funding. No one is entitled to public dollars to promote hate or discrimination. This new law makes that distinction clear — with consequences, especially financial ones.
Since Oct. 7, 2003, hate crimes in Florida targeting Jews have doubled. That's why I, along with other activists, support this law. We believe the majority of Florida taxpayers do not support hate, and certainly do not want their money used to fund it.
This law sends a simple message: no taxpayer-funded hate in Florida.
It also expands the protections Florida has put in place since 2016 and again in 2024 to fight antisemitic discrimination and crime.
Now, taxpayer money — whether through grants, contracts, or tax-exempt status — cannot be used to support programs or institutions that traffic in hate speech, including antisemitism.
I call on our cultural and educational institutions to embrace this law and lead with integrity. Reject hate in museums, performing arts centers, and public universities. These are institutions that have long stood up for artists of every race, ethnicity, gender, and orientation. It's time to show the same commitment to Jews.
I'm not asking for political loyalty or positions on global conflicts. I'm asking for consistency — stand against hate, no matter who it targets. Use your platform to speak for the marginalized and to reject discrimination in all forms.
This new bipartisan law is a good step forward. It affirms that Florida taxpayers will not be forced to fund antisemitism or hate of any kind.
George Lindemann Jr. is an investor, art collector and philanthropist. He is president of the board of trustees for The Bass museum on Miami Beach.