Ringling Museum remains under auspices of FSU

Sarasota’s John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art will remain under the auspices of Florida State University for at least the coming fiscal year and not transfer to the control of New College of Florida.

Florida legislators this week completed work on a $115.1 billion statewide spending plan, a month and half beyond the normal deadline for such approval. On Tuesday, the local group Citizens to Protect the Ringling posted a statement celebrating “a major victory,” saying the transfer plan was not part of the agreed-to budget.

News site Florida Politics reported in early May the proposal to transfer the museum’s management and also place New College of Florida in charge of the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus would not be further considered in Tallahassee this legislative session, citing local opposition.

“The proposed transfer raised concerns about New College's capacity to manage the complex museum operations, given the institution's recent financial challenges and the resignation of its Alumni Association chair, who cited 'fiscal and operational mismanagement, among other serious academic and enrollment allegations.'" Nancy Parrish, president of Citizens to Protect the Ringling and a former board chair of The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art Foundation said in the statement.

Florida State has managed The Ringling since 2000 on 66 bayfront acres, including the Ca' d'Zan (the Ringling mansion), the Museum of Art, the Circus Museum, the Historic Asolo Theater, Bayfront Gardens, and other buildings and grounds. Together with the FSU Center for the Performing Arts, it is now one of the largest university art complexes in the United States, according to The Ringling website.

In February, New College President Richard Corcoran wrote an op-ed piece that laid out the reasoning for the transfer of the museum. In it, he wrote: "The decision to bring The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art under the stewardship of New College of Florida is one of those moments — an alignment that strengthens Sarasota’s role as Florida’s premier hub for arts, education and scholarship, while ensuring that this historic and cherished museum remains deeply connected to and preserved by the community that has shaped it for nearly a century."

Four paragraphs inside Gov. Ron DeSantis’ proposed budget for 2025 directs FSU to work with New College “in transferring all duties, responsibilities, and state financial obligations of the Ringling including but not limited to, the art museum, the Ca’d’ Zan, circus museums and the Ringling Museum of the Circus, to New College of Florida.”

In its 2023-24 annual review, The Ringling reported $25.5 million in total revenue, with $24.8 million in expenses. 

Combined endowments from the John and Mable Ringing Museum of Art Foundation and the Florida State University Foundation totaled $58.9 million with an annual draw of $2.4 million.

New College's budget for the 2024-25 fiscal year is $105.8 million.