Florida finally received the $25 million BP promised it would give to advertise that Floridas beaches are unsullied by oil, Gov. Charlie Crist announced Tuesday afternoon. The money came less than eight hours after the Cabinet and one senior senator slammed Crist for not doing enough to expedite receipt of the oil company's check.
Earlier in the day at a Cabinet meeting, members of the executive branch and Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, told Crist Northwest Floridas hotels and restaurants were facing an economic crisis, and the state needed to get money to the tourism industry as soon as possible for an immediate marketing campaign.
The news in the morning, that BP could deliver $25 million in emergency funds to market the state's vital tourism industry as early as Tuesday, did little to assuage concerns about canceled hotel and restaurant reservations.
It seems the state of Florida has not stepped up to help Northwest Floridas tourism industry, said Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville.
Oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill in the Gulf of Mexico has not arrived on state shores, but the Panhandle hospitality industry fears constant and inaccurate coverage of the spill is discouraging tourists from visiting the area just as it begins its peak summer season.
He said the governor has not been using his considerable media power to promote Floridas beaches, and TV ads put out by the states public-private marketing corporation looked as if they were thrown together in somebodys basement.
Gaetz told reporters later, Its days like this I miss Jeb Bush.
Crist said he was working hard to get the BP money as soon as possible, and that he hoped it would come by Tuesday or Wednesday.
Its easy to criticize, its hard to produce, he said.
Crist sent BP America President Tony Hayward a request for $35 million in funds for the tourism industry nearly two weeks ago. BP responded early last week that it would give the state $25 million. Since then, lawmakers and others have been waiting for the money.
In the afternoon, Crist announced that the state had received the money and assigned the Department of Management Services to handle it. The state is creating a work group including members of Visit Florida and the Governors Office to decide how the funds will be delegated.
Visit Florida won't get all the money. Crist said in a prepared statement late Tuesday that the money will go for "Visit Florida and local tourist development councils to air a tourism marketing campaign with ads reflecting the accurate condition of Florida's beaches and world-renowned fishing grounds ..."
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink, a Democratic gubernatorial hopeful, and Attorney General Bill McCollum, Republican gubernatorial hopeful, agreed that not enough has been done so far to help the Panhandle tourism industry.
McCollum found the slow arrival of the money shocking.
It seems like an eternity, McCollum said. It hasnt been. But it seems like it.
I am very disappointed in the lack of urgency getting this problem solved and getting it solved now, Sink said.
While it awaits extra marketing money, Visit Florida, the states public-private marketing corporation, has been using $2 million in emergency funds released by the state to put out television ads marketing beaches and tourist destinations around the state. It also used $500,000 of its own emergency money.
But Visit Floridas TV ads, many of which have not yet been shown to the public, dont promote Northwest Florida tourism particularly well, said members of the Cabinet.
A 30-second advertisement, shown to the Cabinet at its meeting, proclaims Northwest Florida beaches as clean and open for business. But it looks very similar to 20-second one that advertises beaches statewide. Both mix photographs and video of people enjoying Panhandle beaches, although only the Northwest Florida video specifies that it is talking about the Panhandle. That video also includes a 10-second ad for Pensacola beaches.
Neither makes overt reference to the oil spill.
Its like looking at an orange juice commercial that was cut two years ago, said Charles Bronson, Florida commissioner of agriculture and consumer services.
Sink said there is no sense of urgency to the advertisements, due to be shown to TV audiences Thursday. They don't focus on specific Northwest Florida beaches and are too generic, she said. This does nothing to help Northwest Florida."
Reach Alex Tiegen at atiegen@sunshinestatenews.com, or at (561) 329-5389.
