Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersJuly 25, 2018

Meeting with state film industry leaders in Orlando Tuesday, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Philip Levine renewed his call for a determined push to bring the movie business back to Florida, using it as an example of 21st-century enterprises Florida is rebuffing. “What’s amazing to me: this is low-hanging fruit,” the former Miami Beach mayor said. “This […]

Jacob OglesJuly 14, 2018

Florida’s U.S. senators agree that those crossing the nation’s northern border should get to stay here for a while. Democrat Bill Nelson and Republican Marco Rubio filed The Canadian Snowbird Act, legislation that would let older Canadian visitors to the United States stay here as long as eight months without being considered residents. “It’s no […]

Drew WilsonJune 8, 2018

Vacation rental platform Airbnb announced Friday that it has collected and remitted more than $12 million in tax revenue to Miami-Dade and Broward counties over the past year. Those collections are from separate agreements agreed to by each county’s commission that saw Airbnb start automatically collecting 6 percent bed taxes and remitting the revenue directly […]

Danny McAuliffeApril 23, 2018

State-backed tourism campaigns are producing a healthy return on investment. Numbers released Monday from VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s public-private marketing agency, indicate that more Canadians are choosing to retreat to the Sunshine State for vacation stays. The uptick follows increased marketing efforts in the United States’ neighbor to the north. Overall visitation saw an increase […]

Staff ReportsApril 2, 2018

R. Scott Shalley, president and CEO of the Florida Retail Federation, has been selected to join the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors effective immediately, the group announced Monday. “I’m honored to join the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors, and I want to thank Chair Maryann Frenec and the rest of the board members for this opportunity,” Shalley […]

Staff ReportsMarch 20, 2018

Gov. Rick Scott vowed to ensure tourism stayed vibrant even after Hurricane Irma wreaked its havoc, and the numbers released Tuesday in Naples show that he pulled it off. The 116.5 million visitors, per VISIT FLORIDA, mark a 3.6 percent increase over the 112.4 million visitors in 2016. This was despite a loss of 1.8 million visitors […]

Danny McAuliffeMarch 1, 2018

The House and Senate in negotiations have seemingly agreed on funding for job and tourism incentives — but still are significantly apart on spends for hurricane-related affordable housing programs that are now expected to be ironed out by budget chairs Rep. Carlos Trujillo and Sen. Rob Bradley. A recent Senate offer in the Transportation, Tourism, […]

Drew WilsonFebruary 12, 2018

Vacation rental business Airbnb collected and remitted $45.7 million in tax revenue for Florida and local governments across the Sunshine State last year, more than double what it collected in 2016. “In 2015, Airbnb collaborated with the Florida Department of Revenue on a historic agreement allowing the company to collect and remit the state sales […]

A.G. GancarskiFebruary 6, 2018

The Florida Senate proposes cutting the Visit Florida budget to $50 million, which is $26 million below the current level. Gov. Rick Scott wants $100 million. He addressed this discrepancy in a gaggle Tuesday in Jacksonville. “Visit Florida’s very important to the state,” Scott said in a gaggle that covered similar lines. “1.4 million jobs are tied […]

Jim RosicaDecember 26, 2017

Spoiler alert: If you’re a regular of this site, and reading this story, you can guess what the #1 pick is. Otherwise, 2017 still offered a bounty of material to Tallahassee’s reporting ranks. We still chuckle at the uninitiated who ask, “What do you write about when the Legislature isn’t in session?” Without further ado, […]

Tag: Visit Florida

Philip Levine: Quest for film business is part of 21st-century economy

Bill Nelson, Marco Rubio file bill wooing Canadian snowbirds for longer visits

Airbnb delivers $12 million in South Florida tax revenue

Big in Canada: VISIT FLORIDA efforts correlate with increased visitation

Personnel note: Scott Shalley joins VISIT FLORIDA board

Despite Irma, Florida sets another tourism record

Affordable housing issues likely headed to budget chairs

Airbnb collected $45M in Florida tax revenue in 2017

Rick Scott hammers proposed Visit Florida budget cuts

Jim Rosica’s review of top state government stories of 2017