Budget conference: Lawmakers disagree over VISIT FLORIDA funding

Image via VISIT FLORIDA.

—The Senate and House are at odds on whether to keep paying for VISIT FLORIDA.

The Senate wants to give VISIT FLORIDA $80 million, while the House wants to defund the state’s tourism marketing agency completely. Gov. Ron DeSantis initially asked for $100 million for the agency.

Going into the budget conference, the two sides also disagree on whether VISIT FLORIDA should receive an additional $1 million in nonrecurring funds to contract with Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association (FRLA) for an in-state tourism marketing campaign. The Senate’s budget funds the program; the House’s budget does not.

The funding is needed so VISIT FLORIDA and FRLA can work together to “develop a coordinated marketing, media and events program to promote Florida tourism to residents of the state,” according to a funding request sponsored by Sen. Jay Trumbull in the Senate and Rep. Josie Tomkow in the House.

Out of the $1 million, about $950,000 would be for items such as “marketing, public relations, administrative funding and support for events” which would be matched 1:1 with private funds, the request says. The remaining $50,000 would be used for staff travel, promotional items, printing, booth rental, equipment rental and office supplies.

“The project has statewide impact, with emphasis on rural and small communities,” the funding request says. “The project will partner with local communities to increase tourism, increase economic activity, create specific and immediate job opportunities, and enrich cultural experiences.”

VISIT FLORIDA has been in jeopardy of getting defunded by the state for years.

Critics have argued Florida’s county tourist-development councils should pick up the cost, while advocates argue VISIT FLORIDA plays an important role in convincing visitors to come to the state, especially after hurricanes, the pandemic and other major incidents that might scare people away.

The COVID-19 pandemic decimated the travel industry, but Florida’s tourism industry has since rebounded. An estimated 138 million people visited Florida in 2022, breaking previous records, VISIT FLORIDA announced earlier this year.

Budget conference subcommittees will meet throughout the week to resolve differences in each appropriations silo. When remaining issues reach an impasse, they will be “bumped” to the full budget conference committee.

Lawmakers must reach an agreement on a final spending plan by May 2 to meet the 72-hour “cooling off” period required by the state constitution before they can vote on the budget to avoid pushing the Regular Session past its scheduled May 5 end date.