Visit Florida might not be a goner after all. On Monday, Rep. Paul Renner, R-Palm Coast, filed an amendment to the controversial bill to ax Florida’s tourism agency, Visit Florida. Under the amendment, Visit Florida would be given a second chance, but would be given a much smaller annual budget of $25 million to make ends meet.
Enterprise Florida would still be eliminated under the amendment.
If passed, Visit Florida would be required to post all contracts on the Chief Financial Officer Transparency website and would have to place proposed contracts work over $750,000 on a 14-day legislative consultation.
If the chair or vice chair of the Legislative Budget Commission, House Speaker or Senate President objected to a contract, Visit Florida would be prohibited from moving further with the contract.
Appointments to be the new president/CEO for the tourism agency would have to jump through an extra hoop to head up Visit Florida — if passed, the Senate would be required to confirm the Visit Florida president/CEO.
The amendment would also freeze benefits and salaries for Visit Florida employees at their current levels. Bonuses would be prohibited.
Speaker Corcoran trashed supporters of the state tourism agency and dared them to meet in the middle — just to see if they’ll budge.
“Since this debate began, the defenders of VISIT FLORIDA have grown increasingly hysterical, complete with their ‘Chicken Little’ predictions of economic collapse, state income taxes, and tens of thousands out of work,” Corcoran said. “I am skeptical that the most vocal cheerleaders of VISIT FLORIDA want anything less than the status quo. So we are going to put that to the test.”
Corcoran said the amendment would put a permanent end to slush funds, corporate negligence and “secret insider deals.”
"The burden is now on the defenders of VISIT FLORIDA to decide if they are willing to accept accountability and transparency or if they are looking only to return to the good old days of operating in the shadows,” Corcoran said.
Renner’s amendment comes the day before the House Appropriations Committee is set to vote on the measure. the vote will be pivotal for the bill’s future, and it’s likely to sail through that committee Tuesday.
The bill has been the source of a heated battle between Corcoran and Gov. Rick Scott, who disagree on the necessity of both Enterprise Florida and Visit Florida. The House has focused significantly on axing Enterprise Florida, slamming the agency as a colossal failure.
Scott was not happy over the 67 percent cut to Visit Florida and criticized the House for threatening Floridians' jobs.
"Some politicians in the Florida House think fighting for jobs is simply hysteria and don’t understand that jobs are not expendable to families who have to put food on the table," said Scott spokeswoman Jackie Schutz.
On Monday, Scott penned an op-ed accusing the House of “playing politics” with Florida families’ jobs.
In the op-ed, the governor said it was laughable that the House just wanted to find a starting point by advancing the bill to nix his twin pride and joy.
“The politicians in the Florida House who already voted for this bill say they don’t necessarily want to abolish these programs but instead want to advance a ‘conversation’ …meaning they voted for something they don’t support,” he wrote. “This is hypocrisy at its best and these are the kind of games I came to Tallahassee to change.”
Scott said the time is now to continue forward on the job-creating trajectory he’s worked so hard to create.
“This is no time to stand still,” said the governor. “In business you are either moving forward or you are moving backward. The Florida House is currently planning to take our state backward. I will fight to stop them.”
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
