Staff Reports
Last Call — A prime-time read of what’s going down in Florida politics.
First Shot
Florida welcomed a record number of visitors last year according to new data released by the state’s tourism marketing arm.
VISIT FLORIDA estimates that 137.6 million travelers came to Florida in 2022, which is a nearly 13% increase over 2021 and beats the pre-pandemic record by 5%.
In a news release touting the data, Gov. Ron DeSantis credited the tourism boom to perceptions that Florida offers more freedom than states that more closely followed federal pandemic policies.
“People continue to make Florida their vacation destination because they know that in the Free State of Florida, they can enjoy all that we have to offer without mandates or restrictions,” he said. “Despite the federal government’s attempts to keep our economy stagnant, Florida’s freedom-first approach has created an environment that attracts new visitors, fosters new businesses, and drives our economy forward.”
In addition to the top-line number, VISIT FLORIDA says the state saw year-over-year growth in every quarter of last year. The state’s streak hit six quarters in Q4, when 33.2 million travelers — 30.1 million of them domestic — came to the Sunshine State. Monthly visitation numbers have seen gains every month since March 2021.
“We could not be more excited with the incredibly impressive record-breaking visitation seen in 2022. Quarter after quarter, Florida continues to dominate the travel market and our competition, which could not be achieved without the hard work of our local tourism partners,” VISIT FLORIDA President and CEO Dana Young said in a news release.
The vast majority of tourists who visited Florida last year were from other U.S. states, with overseas travelers accounting for about 7 million of the annual total. The state claims more overseas visitors would have come to Florida if not for “the unscientific vaccine mandate still instituted by the Biden administration in addition to staggering visa wait times.”
Young concluded, “Florida is breaking records despite overseas visitation remaining 28% lower than in 2019 due to heinous visa wait times and irrational mandates imposed by the federal government. At VISIT FLORIDA, we are committed to building on this growth to ensure Florida continues to be the No. 1 vacation destination in the world.”
Evening Reads
—”Ron DeSantis got a glowing reception during a secretive, high-profile conservative summit at Trump Doral — then the ex-President called in” via Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider
—”DeSantis’ war on ‘woke’ in Florida schools, explained” via Fabiola Cineas of Vox
—”Matt Gaetz will face no charges in federal sex trafficking investigation” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics
—“Florida’s debt-based driver’s license suspension policy benefits no one, drags economy” via Jesse Scheckner of Florida Politics
—“Measures to lower cap on property tax hikes clear first committee hurdle” via Gray Rohrer of Florida Politics
—“New measure could grease the skids on DeSantis’ elections-crimes prosecutions” via Michael Moline of the Florida Phoenix
—”As lawmakers spar over Social Security, its costs are rising fast” via Jim Tankersley of The New York Times
—“What it means for Mike Pence to fight his subpoena — politically and legally” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post
—”Study shows ‘striking’ number who believe news misinforms” via David Bauder of The Associated Press
—”‘Every parent’s nightmare’: TikTok is a venue for child sexual exploitation” via Tawnell D. Hobbs of The Wall Street Journal
—”America’s troubling UFO obsession” via Marina Koren of The Atlantic
Quote of the Day
“We’re going to the weakest link … because we just don’t have either the acumen or the will to put a cap on things that are exploding at a much higher rate.”
— Sen. Jason Pizzo, on a proposal to reduce the size of property tax increases.
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Last Call is published by Peter Schorsch, assembled and edited by Phil Ammann and Drew Wilson with contributions from the staff of Florida Politics.
