Sarasota County arts organizations seeking a share of $2.1 million in public grant funding this year are facing a new requirement tied to recently approved Florida restrictions on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Some have signed a county acknowledgment of the law despite deep reservations. One has refused, forfeiting funding it can scarcely afford to lose.
The acknowledgment, added this year to Sarasota County’s cultural grant agreements, cites a state law — Senate Bill 1134 — signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April and going into effect on Jan. 1 that prohibits counties from using public money to support DEI initiatives…