Mayor Keeps Arts Funding

There's a bit of good news in this tight budget year at least for music lovers and museum goers in Tampa.

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio delivered the news herself to the Florida Orchestra, the Boys and Girls Club, the Humane Society in all to 21 non-profit organizations that the city historically subsidizes.

Iorio plans to continue the $3 million in city support despite a $16 million deficit.

We're not going to abandon the arts just because times are bad, Iorio said. The arts are a very important component just like fire and police and code and clean city and parks and recreation so is our arts and culture it our arts and cultural part, a big part, of what makes Tampa the great city that it is.

The mayor promises to deliver a balanced and smaller budget in August but maintain a city that is still proud about its services and culture.