AIF Turns Up Heat in Support of Destination Casino Legislation

The Associated Industries of Florida confirmed Thursday that passage of a destination-resorts bill will be among its top legislative priorities in 2012.

Bringing the destination-resorts industry to Florida would be the greatest job creator in the states recent history. With this kind of potential, a single industry could help us move approximately 10 percent of our states jobless off the unemployment rolls and we could get paychecks in the hands of tens of thousands of people within the next 12 months, said Brewster Bevis, AIF vice president of external relations.

This will also help alleviate the burden of a 150 percent increase in unemployment compensation taxes facing half a million employers across the state.

AIF said its More Jobs for Florida website will list information on the jobs destination resorts will create, outline the economic benefits to the state and local community and "dispel myths and misinformation about the destination-resort concept."