The arts and culture sector is an economic engine, and this report illustrates how the sector contributes to the economic growth and resilience of St Lucie County’s local economy. Therefore, it gives me great pleasure to write this brief foreword for our very first locally commissioned economic contribution study, and I’d begin by thanking you for taking this time to read our report.
Certainly, we understand how art and culture enhances and adds to quality of life, improves outcomes for our students, and we appreciate the synergy between the arts and business – but a truly interesting question is; how much does the Art and Cultural sector contribute to the economic growth and resilience of St Lucie County?
This economic impact study, commissioned by St Lucie Cultural Alliance [SLCA] and produced by Praecipio EFS, addresses this question by assessing the economic contribution of the sector based on data gathered from 15 sector participants, the outputs of which are the result of a rigorous and detailed analysis which assesses the sector’s economic contribution. Data tells us that there were well over a quarter of a million attendances during the reporting period, which generated revenues of $24.7 million and contributed $10.6 million to our local GDP. These are quite extraordinary numbers, demonstrating how the arts and cultural sector provide the benefits of an economic engine – one that supports jobs, remit taxes, and contributes significantly to the overall St Lucie County economy.
I close this foreword with this observation; please remember that gathering data from 15 participants gives a truly conservative estimate of the true breadth of the economic contribution of the art and culture sector, and let’s also remember that if we only consider economic impact then we will be commoditizing the arts – which diminishes not only arts, culture, but ultimately ourselves.
My most sincere thanks to the 15 participants who graciously agreed to participate in this report and submitted solid data to us, without whom this report could not have been completed. And finally, our report is relevant for decision-making in a variety of policy areas, at national and local levels and as a robust tool for advocacy… We hope you find it both interesting and useful.
Rebecca Miller, P.E, MBA
Chairwoman, SLCA Board of Directors
Fort Pierce, Florida
September 2019
