TAMPA, Fla. – Hillsborough County leaders approved millions of dollars Wednesday for arts and entertainment venues that are struggling to survive.  
 
Venues such as the Straz, Tampa Theater, Zoo Tampa, Florida Aquarium, Tampa Bay History Center, Tampa Museum of Art, Glazer Children’s Museum and MOSI can receive $500,000 in CARES reimbursement funds.  
 
The county is also spending nearly $2.5 million to buy COVID-19 safety equipment such as protective shields, filters, and disinfectants to modify Amalie Arena for whenever it opens safely.  

Maiken Stefany, v.p. of Eventfest, sits on the Florida Festivals and Events Association and said large concerts and fist-pumping festivals aren’t returning to normal anytime soon, but some venues are adapting.  
 
“The events industry and the hospitality industry have taken the absolute hardest hit,” Stefany told FOX 13.  
 
There is a major effort to restart in a safer and on a much smaller scale. The Ritz Ybor, a concert venue put out a tweet announcing a ‘DJ Labor Day Weekend’. Instead of a packed dance floor, they offer fenced off, physically distanced pods for small groups and said staff will enforce strict rules that follow CDC guidelines.   

Tampa Bay lit up buildings in red Tuesday night for ‘Red Alert Restart’ to get people thinking about the struggles the event and entertainment industry is experiencing.  
 
Stefany said event attendees can expect to pay 20-40 percent more because smaller crowds mean more expensive tickets as venues struggle to pay the overhead.