Visit Orlando’s transparency issues return

Visit Orlando leader George Aguel faced pressure about the group’s secret agreements during Friday’s Tourist Development Council meeting, the first since Florida’s House speaker warned against keeping contracts from the public.

Visit Orlando, a tourism marketing group that gets taxpayer money, has been taking heat over not releasing a contract on its confidential U.S. Tennis Association sponsorship.

When council member Dale McDonald asked Aguel to weigh in on the controversy, the Visit Orlando CEO defended the USTA deal, saying, “It was an opportunity that we didn’t want to lose,” and that it gave Orlando considerable international exposure at the popular U.S. Open.

McDonald warned Aguel he did not want the council’s credibility to be undermined in light of Visit Orlando refusing to release information. The council’s job is to make recommendations to the Orange County Board of Commissioners on how to spend a 6 percent

county tax on hotel rooms.

“When there are so many dollars involved, we owe our citizenry the expectation of behaving beyond reproach,” said McDonald, Maitland’s mayor, after the meeting. “We have to be able to be trusted or else what the hell are we doing here?”

Florida House Speaker Richard Corcoran, R-Land O’Lakes, has pushed for more transparency from destination marketing organizations. He said Friday he supported McDonald’s views.

“It's unfortunate that Visit Orlando and the elected leadership is going down this path. It's wrong, unnecessary and silly. If they continue down this path, I can guarantee you that ultimately the taxpayers will win,” he said in a statement.

During Aguel’s 25-minute update in front of the council, McDonald’s question at the end was the only mention of transparency concerns.

Aguel and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs reiterated their stance that Visit Orlando will not disclose the contract unless the USTA lifts the confidentiality clause.

“I have made transparency a hallmark of my administration and for me personally as an elected official,” Jacobs said. She expressed concern about Visit Orlando releasing its marketing deals to the public because it could tip off competitors.

“That’s my challenge,” she said.

Visit Florida, the state’s tourism marketing agency, released its portion of the USTA agreement last month to the Sentinel that showed in 2015 and 2016, the statewide agency paid up to $1 million to sponsor tennis events in exchange for online advertising, radio ads and luxury suites to the U.S. Open.

In response to Corcoran’s criticism, Jacobs said last month she wanted the details of Visit Orlando’s corporate sponsorship agreements worth at least $500,000 to be released when the county is expected to extend the agency’s contract in 2018.

Visit Florida also has faced pressure from Corcoran over a lack of transparency.

Corcoran sued Visit Florida last year when the agency refused to disclose the terms of its contract with Miami rapper Pitbull. Eventually, Pitbull disclosed he was paid $1 million to promote Florida tourism on his social media and his music video “Sexy Beaches” among other things.

Since then, the Legislature added new rules to make Visit Florida more transparent. Visit Orlando was one of several marketing organizations to stop working with Visit Florida.

In 2016, Visit Orlando received $51 million from a 6 percent county hotel tax. Its expenditures include sponsorships, advertising and travel, including the Orlando Sentinel.

In other action at Friday’s meeting, the tourist council approved Florida Citrus Sports’ request for $2 million in its bid to bring the 2018 Pro Bowl to Orlando. The money would come from the tax on hotel rooms and short-term lodgings.

The request still requires the approval of county commissioners, who were supportive of funding the Pro Bowl last year. In 2017, Camping World Stadium hosted the event for the first time and drew a crowd of 60,834, the fifth-largest among Pro Bowls since 1970.

“When there are so many dollars involved, we owe our citizenry the expectation of behaving beyond reproach.” Tourist Development Council member Dale McDonald