Who Gets to Decide What Art Is Worth?

In Pinellas County, apparently it’s Commissioner Brian Scott.

Op-ed by Avery Anderson

More than 200 people showed up to tonight’s Pinellas County Commission meeting. They spoke until nearly 9:30 p.m.—artists, students, neighbors—telling story after story of what Creative Pinellas has meant to their lives and livelihoods.

And then, the commissioners voted to amend the budget anyway.

The excuse? That Creative Pinellas isn’t putting enough “heads in beds.” That public murals, youth programs, summer camps, hurricane relief, and grants that let working artists buy basic supplies don’t count as tourism. That the money should instead be shifted to Visit St. Pete/Clearwater—because apparently only glossy marketing brochures “bring visitors,” not the very art those brochures are selling.

Let’s be real: this isn’t about fiscal responsibility. Creative Pinellas receives less than .004% of the county’s budget. About $156,000 from the general fund, and $800,000 from the bed tax. A rounding error. Yet Scott and his allies painted this tiny fraction as an outrageous misuse of funds.

What it really was: a calculated political hit. Scott sprung the proposal the Thursday before Labor Day, with only a week before public comment. He gave the community almost no time to organize, then sat through hours of testimony only to dismiss it with a shrug.

And here’s the kicker: Scott openly said that even under his new plan, money shouldn’t go to individual artists. Think about that. Our county chair is on record saying he supports “the arts,” but not the people who make them. As if theaters, festivals, galleries, and cultural programs just sprout out of the ground without painters, dancers, writers, and musicians.

Is Creative Pinellas perfect? Of course not. No organization is. But last night wasn’t a conversation about accountability. It was an attempt to strip artists of support and reframe arts funding as a problem instead of the economic driver it is.

I didn’t stick a recorder in anyone’s face on the way out. Margaret Murray, Creative Pinellas’ CEO, walked out in tears. Artists who credit the organization with their survival sat in silence. This wasn’t a night for soundbites. It was a night to witness what happens when power is used to belittle people who build community for a living.

Here’s the truth: art will go on. You cannot legislate creativity out of existence. Artists will keep making work, telling stories, and building community whether or not the county thinks we’re “effective” enough.

But make no mistake—tonight was a blow. It told us exactly how Brian Scott values art: as a talking point, not a lifeline. As marketing, not humanity. As something to cut, not something to fight for.

So I’ll ask again: who gets to decide what art is worth? In Pinellas County, one commissioner thinks it’s him. But we know better. And we’re not done.