Visit Florida Still waiting on Critical Advertising Money

Memorial Day weekend is bearing down on Northwest Florida, and the states public-private marketing corporation still doesnt have the money it needs to air a new TV advertisement showing tourists that Panhandle beaches are unsullied by oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Visit Florida is still waiting for word from a working group created by Gov. Charlie Crist on when it will get a portion of emergency marketing money given to the state by BP. The money has been in the pipeline for more than a week now, and the slow arrival and distribution of the funds has prompted anger from lawmakers and members of the state Cabinet.

Kathy Torian, spokesperson for Visit Florida, said she is hopeful Visit Florida will receive the money as early as Friday, but she doesnt know specifically when the ad will be broadcast or how much money it will receive. Its quite likely it wont air until this weekend or next week, after tourists have already made up their minds on whether to visit Florida for the three-day weekend that marks the beginning of the Panhandles peak summer season. Visit Florida has the ad cut and sent to stations, but it needs approval from the governors office and $7 million of the $25 million in emergency marketing funds BP delivered to the Florida Department of Financial Services Tuesday. Visit Florida already aired two television ads, a general one promoting Florida beaches and one promoting state beaches and tourist destinations.

Niceville Republican Sen. Don Gaetz, a vocal critic of Crists handling of the delivery of tourism funds, and members of the Cabinet all criticized Visit Floridas first TV ad, which aired last weekend, for being generic and poorly produced. Torian said Visit Florida has taken their comments to heart and retooled the new ad that concentrates on Northwest Florida beaches.