Visit Florida now listening to its critics, Corcoran says

TALLAHASSEE — House Speaker Richard Corcoran said Visit Florida apparently heeded state lawmakers’ criticisms, as the tourism-marketing agency has canceled an auto racing sponsorship and is negotiating a better deal with an English football club.

“It’s clear that Visit Florida has heard us loud and clear and are beginning the process of cleaning up their act and ceasing the waste of taxpayer money,” said Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes.

In this year’s legislative session, he was highly critical of Visit Florida spending and clashed with Gov. Rick Scott about the agency. Among the more prominent complaints about Visit Florida was a $1 million deal with Miami rapper Pitbull, along with sponsorships of Fulham Football Club in England and the Visit Florida racing team.

Lawmakers moved to cut Visit Florida’s budget for 2017-2018 by two-thirds from the current fiscal year. But the funding was bumped up to $76 million — nearly matching the money in the current year — during a special session this month.

The bill (HB 1A) providing the money also will require Visit Florida contracts valued at $500,000 or more to be posted online. Contracts over $750,000 will have to go before the Joint Legislative Budget Commission and could be voided within 14 days by the House speaker or Senate president.

The plan also caps salaries and imposes travel restrictions on Visit Florida employees.

“We are confident with the new oversight provisions that require House and Senate approval and complete transparency, we will be able to protect taxpayers," Corcoran said in the statement.

On June 2, before the bill was completed, the agency gave a 30-day cancellation notice to the team racing the “Visit Florida car.” Nelson Mongiovi, Visit Florida’s chief financial officer, wrote in the notice of cancellation that “Visit Florida must make major changes in its strategic direction moving forward.”