Visit Florida Would Maintain Current Funding Under Tentative Agreement
Photo Credit: Visit Florida's funding could be saved next week. Pictured are tourists walking along the boardwalk in Hollywood, Florida. Flickr / J.Byerly
Skift Take
After a long, drawn-out political process, Visit Florida's chances of maintaining its current funding level look decent. The debate helped spawn conversations among stakeholders at many other tourism boards about their own budgets and operations. Hopefully, everyone learned something.
There's a budget agreement to save Visit Florida's funding but it isn't a done deal yet.
Florida Governor Rick Scott, House Speaker Richard Corcoran and Senate President Joe Negron announced on Friday that they have agreed to fund Visit Florida at its current $76 million level for fiscal 2018.
The catch, though, is that all three must also convince Florida lawmakers in a special session next week to vote to maintain the organization's funding level.
If lawmakers vote during the special session, which is scheduled for June 7 to 9, to keep Visit Florida's funding at $76 million it would save the tourism organization from a 67 percent funding cut next year that would cap its funding at $25 million. Both
