Skift Take
The good news is that the Sunshine State’s official tourism marketing body can continue operations. The not-so-good news is that it’s only a one-year reprieve — and on a slashed budget, at that.
Legislative budget negotiators have reached a deal to extend the life of the Visit Florida tourism agency, which had been set to expire in October.
The House and Senate agreed Monday to approve $50 million for the agency and move its “sunset” date to June 30, 2020. That’s lower than the $76 million Gov. Ron DeSantis requested but higher than the Republican-led House initially proposed.
Visit Florida markets tourism destinations in Florida through a variety of advertising methods, but House leaders have questioned whether it is necessary.
House lawmakers were especially unhappy when Visit Florida in 2015 secretly inked a $1 million endorsement deal with rapper Pitbull, a move many viewed as reckless spending. The agency is now under new leadership.
About 126 million tourists visited Florida last year.
This article was originally from The Associated Press and was legally licensed through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to [email protected].
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Tags: florida, tourism boards, visit florida
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