Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

A.G. GancarskiNovember 21, 2016

With Gov. Rick Scott in Jacksonville announcing record-setting tourism numbers and attributing them to VISIT FLORIDA, it was only natural that Paul Astleford, who heads up Visit Jacksonville, would have his say on the “big numbers.” With Visit Jacksonville under scrutiny for travel expenses, and with its contract due for renewal in a year, Astleford took advantage of the […]

A.G. GancarskiMay 2, 2016

It’s no surprise that Jacksonville is a leading tourism and convention destination. From beaches to golfing to its numerous parks and rivers, Jacksonville has a lot to offer its 10 million tourists a year. Along those lines, Jacksonville is a Top 50 destination for meetings, with 800 conventions the last three years hosting 500,000 room nights. […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 11, 2015

In light of the continuing controversy over Jacksonville’s $45 million commitment to EverBank Field upgrades, the Lenny Curry administration has released statistics it says show the monetary benefit of the city’s signature event: the Florida vs. Georgia football game aka “The World’s Largest Cocktail Party.” The impact, Curry’s office contends, is huge. When it comes to […]

A.G. GancarskiDecember 2, 2015

Where Florida Begins. The Bold New City of the South. The Florida You’ve Always Wanted. The last few decades in Jacksonville have been a graveyard of aspirational slogans and taglines, with one commonality: a lack of real resonance beyond the region, and a hard callous of skepticism among locals. truJAX, a partnership between the Jacksonville […]

Tag: Paul Astleford
Lake Mary’s team celebrates in the eighth inning of the Little League World Series Championship game against Taiwan. Florida won in eight innings 2-1. Image via AP.

Paul Astleford says Visit Jacksonville gets results

Will a lack of an HRO affect Jacksonville’s tourism and convention industry?

Florida-Georgia game has $35M economic benefit to Jacksonville, city says

truJAX attempts to define Jacksonville’s DNA, vision