Sarasota County Commissioner Christine Robinson has relentlessly beat the tom-tom in the past year about public arts funding in South County. She insists we don’t get enough, and she’s probably right.

South County doesn’t always play second-fiddle when it comes to general services, but it barely makes the stage in this case. Perhaps that’s no big surprise. The city of Sarasota is home to the Ringling Museum of Art, Asolo Repertory Theatre, the Sarasota Opera, the Sarasota Ballet, the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, the annual Sarasota Film Festival and many other smaller groups and activities.