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FPUA board approves Manatee Center joining Museums for All and Blue Star Museums; $1 reduced admission set
Summary
Fort Pierce Utilities Authority trustees approved the Manatee Center’s participation in two national access programs — Blue Star Museums and Museums for All — and set a $1 reduced admission for qualifying visitors.
The Fort Pierce Utilities Authority board voted Sept. 16 to approve the Manatee Center’s enrollment in two national access initiatives — Blue Star Museums and Museums for All — and to set a reduced $1 admission for qualifying visitors under the Museums for All program.
Jessica Barclay, Manatee Center manager, told the board the two national programs expand access for Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County families. "[Museums for All] provides reduced or waived admission for families with SNAP or EBT benefits," Barclay said, adding that the program is year-round and “removing barriers, perceived or otherwise, but especially financial, and it signals to our families that they're welcome here.”
Barclay said the Manatee Center has already enrolled in Blue Star Museums, which provides free summer admission to active-duty military families, and that Museums for All offers a capped reduced rate (up to $5 per person) or free admission depending on each museum’s choice. She told the board the Manatee Center’s low regular admission and current approach would make Museums for All a meaningful benefit for low-income families. "We're here to serve families ... we want them to come in the door and be inspired," Barclay said.
Board members asked whether retired service members would be covered and how the program would affect revenue. Barclay said the Manatee Center already offers a veterans discount and described Museums for All as an opportunity to grow visitation among audiences who previously did not visit. She also said the program allows museums to track participation and that staff expect donations, gift-shop sales and membership opportunities to continue to generate revenue. Barclay estimated historic annual admissions in the mid‑tens of thousands but did not present a precise budget share for admissions revenue at the meeting.
Board discussion included outreach plans: Barclay said she is working with the tourist development council and the cultural alliance and hopes other Fort Pierce cultural institutions will join so the area appears on national program maps. She told the board she aims for 50% adoption among local cultural institutions within a year and to report back on participation growth.
A motion to approve the Manatee Center’s participation in Blue Star Museums and Museums for All, with the Manatee Center setting a $1 reduced admission under Museums for All, passed on a voice/roll-call vote. Missus Bennett, Missus Davis, Mayor Hudson and Missus Gibbons voted yes.
The board did not specify the motion’s mover and seconder in the record. The Manatee Center will return to report participation metrics and partner recruitment progress as staff implement the program.
