Tourism industry objects to PCB SCR 11-03

Local tourism officials have notified Historic City News that they are joining a last-ditch effort to save VISIT FLORIDA – what VCB Communications Director, Jay Humphreys, tells us is “one of the most effective tourism marketing programs in American history”.

A model for tourism promotion agencies throughout the United States, VISIT FLORIDA would be dissolved under two legislative proposals.

Last week, 71 tourism executives from throughout the state jointly discussed the proposals and voted unanimously to oppose them.

“What came out of that discussion was complete agreement that this is not only wrong, but bad for tourism,” said Richard Goldman, executive director of the St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra and the Beaches Visitors and Convention Bureau and past chairman of the Florida Commission on Tourism which oversees VISIT FLORIDA. “Right now, VISIT FLORIDA is run by the tourism industry for the tourism industry. It has been tremendously successful in using industry contributions to promote the state worldwide.”

The Senate recently passed SB-2156 with support from Governor Rick Scott. Its House-companion, PCB SCR 11-03, will be considered by the House tomorrow. Without immediate intervention by the tourism industry, this bill is expected to pass as well.

Under the legislative proposals, VISIT FLORIDA would be replaced by a board made up of political appointees and chaired by Governor Scott. This board would be moved into a new government agency called “Jobs Florida”.

Funds for tourism and other activities of the new agency would be distributed by the board under the direction of the Governor.

“If this reorganization is successful, none of us trust that our money would be spent in the best interests of Florida tourism,” Goldman told Historic City News. “Placing these funds under the control of political appointees – especially ones who know little or nothing about effective tourism marketing – would be a disaster.”

Goldman noted that since its beginning, VISIT FLORIDA has leveraged more than $1 billion to market tourism to Florida — $776 million from private contributions made by thousands of tourism businesses and partners statewide. The remaining $350 million came from state revenues, especially the $2-per-day rental car tax.

“Prior to the creation of VISIT FLORIDA in 1996, the state’s tourism marketing was conducted by state employees of the Commerce Department without financial and professional contributions from the industry,” Goldman said. “The Commerce Department’s limitations promoting one of the state’s most important industries led to the creation of VISIT FLORIDA. Based on these latest proposals, the Governor and legislature seem intent on repeating the mistakes of the past.”

Today, the Florida tourism industry is encouraging its members to call their legislators and demand that VISIT FLORIDA be saved by rejecting the bill currently before the Florida House of Representatives.