Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Ryan RayMarch 30, 2016

Gov. Rick Scott has ordered examinations into Visit Florida and Space Florida, two high-profile public-private partnerships with the state government, according to the Orlando Sentinel’s Gray Rohrer. The purpose of the reviews is to determine the level of return on investment Florida taxpayers get in exchange for funding projects through the entities, which don’t have the same broad […]

Ryan RayMarch 4, 2016

Legislative budget writers met Friday evening to take up another pair of unreconciled budget areas – Transportation & Economic Development and Civil & Criminal Justice – and came to a final agreement, closing out millions in funding items in a multibillion dollar move when the House and Senate accepted each others’ offers. Among the most […]

Associated PressFebruary 18, 2016

The number of tourists flocking to Florida keeps growing to record numbers. And this time it’s a big one. Gov. Rick Scott will announce Thursday during a visit to Disney World that 105 million tourists made their way to Florida last year. That’s according to preliminary estimates prepared by Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing […]

Drew WilsonNovember 3, 2015

A trio of bills that would help disabled Floridians find employment and manage their personal finances cleared their Senate committee stops Tuesday, all with unanimous votes. The bills – SB 376, SB 388 and SB 7010 – are collectively known as the “cradle to career pathway” in the upper chamber, an initiative aimed at improving […]

Phil AmmannAugust 19, 2015

Florida tourism is on pace to pass the highly anticipated 100-million visitor mark for 2015, with more than 54.1 million visitors coming to the Sunshine State in the first half of 2015. New quarterly numbers released Wednesday from Visit Florida, the state’s tourism arm, show a 5.8 increase from last year and the highest amount of visitors of any […]

Phil AmmannJuly 23, 2015

During Thursday’s visit to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter the Dolphin, Gov. Rick Scott took an opportunity to highlight Florida tourism, the state’s largest industry. In the current state budget, $74 million is set aside for VISIT FLORIDA, the quasi-governmental corporation tasked with attracting more tourists to the Sunshine State. In 2014, Florida […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 22, 2015

With a governor as jobs- and business-focused as Rick Scott, it’s no surprise the state spends a significant amount of time calculating the return on investment (ROI) provided by many state programs. Some may not provide a worthwhile return on investment, but two exceptional programs have managed to triple – even quintuple – the value […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 30, 2014

A new AARP poll shows what nearly everyone who lives in Florida has known for some time. There are three basic economic engines in Florida: tourism, agriculture and retirees. Sure, under the umbrella of retirees you can include home building and health care, but if retirees don’t come, the jobs associated with those industries will […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 23, 2014

Each year, millions of tourists visit Florida. The revenue collected from the state’s thriving tourism-centered economy helps keep tax rates low for our full-time residents and businesses. The more visitors the state attracts, the more revenue is collected through sources like sales taxes and bed taxes. But the tourism industry does much more than pad […]

Guest AuthorSeptember 7, 2014

Tourists visit Florida for its sunny beaches, shining amusement parks and natural landscapes. In fact, the Sunshine State welcomes nearly 100 million of them each year. They come to stay, play, and pay…taxes. Nearly 74 percent of Florida’s general revenue comes from sales and use taxes, and a large part of that $19.4 billion is […]

Tag: Visit Florida

Rick Scott orders probes into Visit Florida, Space Florida

Budget writers close out TED, justice budget silos

Sun, sand & theme parks bring record number of tourists

Senate committee approves 3 “cradle to career” bills

Florida tourism hits record high for 2015

Gov. Scott visits Clearwater Aquarium to highlight record tourism

Report: Investments in Florida Sports Foundation, VISIT Florida worth the money

Jamie Miller: Florida needs to attract more retirees to help the economy thrive

Jerry Parrish: Attracting 100 million tourists would create 121,000 jobs, report says

Jerry D. Parrish: More tourists mean lower taxes for Florida’s residents