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Associated PressAugust 24, 2017

Florida’s tourism marketing agency paid nearly $441,000 in employee bonuses this summer despite months of scrutiny from legislators over spending. A VISIT FLORIDA spokesman said the use of bonuses was approved in May 2016. Stephen Lawson added that VISIT FLORIDA wouldn’t use employee bonuses in the future. VISIT FLORIDA paid the bonuses in July to […]

Scott PowersJuly 4, 2017

Tourism officials are keeping a cautious eye on the horizon, beyond the coast, beyond the sea, to see if the harsh isolationist international rhetoric and tough policies of President Donald Trump could sour foreign tourists on Florida. University of Central Florida economist Sean Snaith and Visit Orlando President George Aguel both warned Orange County officials […]

Scott PowersJune 23, 2017

Stark differences of policy positions were evident between the one Democrat and three of the four Republicans running to fill the open Florida House District 44 seat but the differences between the Republicans proved more subtle in a debate Friday, boiling down to who claimed the strongest ownership of particular GOP positions. The debate sponsored […]

Guest AuthorJune 6, 2017

Under the leadership of Gov. Rick Scott, the revival of the Florida economy has been marked by annual job growth and tourism rates that outpace the national average. The inextricable link between Florida’s investment in its tourism industry and this economic recovery is affirmed by the statistics. Visitor spending in Florida has increased by an […]

Guest AuthorJune 5, 2017

The Florida House of Representatives has recently espoused a philosophy of not “picking winners and losers,” but House Bill 1A does just that. As I watched Gov. Rick Scott, Senate President Joe Negron, and Speaker Richard Corcoran announce their plans for a special session to discuss tourism funding, I felt hopeful for the fate of […]

Jim RosicaJune 5, 2017

The state’s anti-gambling expansion group is pushing back against comments that it’s “misinformed” about casino gambling not being a “meaningful attraction for Florida tourism.” Steven Norton, a longtime gambling executive and consultant, linked to Nick Sortal‘s Friday column for the Miami Herald in Norton’s Monday email roundup of the gambling scene in the South. “As I survey the scene […]

Guest AuthorMay 25, 2017

Last week, Gov. Rick Scott announced record-breaking tourism numbers in the Sunshine State. It may be the last time for a while. Ignoring extensive research, case studies and pleas from travel industry constituents across the state, the Florida Legislature slashed funding for VISIT Florida by a crippling 67 percent — recklessly jeopardizing the tourism industry’s […]

Staff ReportsMay 15, 2017

A record number of tourists — 31.1 million visitors — came to Florida during the first three months of 2017, a 2.5 percent increase over the same period in 2016. Gov. Rick Scott released the latest numbers Monday at Miami’s Jungle Island. Nearly 113 million tourists — most of them from the United States — […]

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2017

While Senate and House negotiators made progress on many tourism, transportations and economic development budgetary issues Saturday, a slew of line items will be “bumped” up to Appropriations Chairs Jack Latvala and Carlos Trujillo. Most notable was a bump of proviso language on an audit of Tampa International Airport’s master renovation plan. State Sen. Tom Lee, a […]

Jim RosicaApril 29, 2017

Don’t expect any movement in the budgets for Enterprise Florida and VISIT FLORIDA at the conference committee level. “I’m authorized to negotiate quite a few things in this budget and there’s a few things I’m not, and those would be among the things I’m not,” said Sen. Jeff Brandes, the St. Petersburg Republican chairing the […]

Tag: tourism

Despite scrutiny Florida’s tourism agency paid out bonuses

Tourism officials cautious about what federal rhetoric might do to international visitors’ interests

HD 44 special election candidates debate health care, education, marijuana, tourism support

Pat Neal: Look to Colorado — cutting VISIT Florida funding would be disastrous

Steve Hayes: Tourism industry in jeopardy with House Bill 1A

No Casinos responds to criticism it’s ‘misinformed’ about casino gambling

Gil Langley: Post-Session reflection on tourism marketing

Rick Scott announces record tourism numbers, criticizes marketing budget cut

Proviso language on Tampa airport audit ‘bumped’ to budget chairs

Top line tourism, economic development money closed out, chair says