Meanwhile, the tourism-marketing agency Visit Florida is budgeted to receive $25 million for the fiscal year that starts July 1, far short of Scott’s request for $100 million. Lawmakers also issued a new set of Visit Florida operational guidelines about travel and marketing contracts.
Scott, who initially asked for $76 million for Visit Florida, equates the state’s increased spending on tourism marketing with Florida’s growth in annual tourists.
The state`s tourist numbers have increased from 87.3 million in 2011, when Visit Florida received $35 million from the state, to nearly 113 million last year.
Corcoran contends people are driven to travel more by their personal finances.
The tourism agency received $78 million for the current year, but has been under media and legislative scrutiny over its $11.6 million sponsorship of a cooking show hosted by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse, a $1 million contract with rapper Pitbull, and ongoing sponsorship deals with London-based Fulham Football Club and an IMSA racing team.
