THE ISSUE: The Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee agenda for Tuesday, March 28th at 2:00 pm includes the following bill:
PCB Bill by Regulatory Reform & Economic Development Subcommittee:
In summary, this bill:
  1. Requires rural counties to pay 2% of Tourist Development Tax (TDT) collections and non-rural counties 5% of TDT to fund VISIT FLORIDA®, approximately $70 million for 2023-26, then becomes voluntary via vote of governing body.
  2. Requires all Tourist Development Tax levied to be reauthorized by referendum every 6-years exempting TDT collected to cover county bond obligations.
  3. Eliminates proceeds from rental car surcharge to VISIT FLORIDA.
  4. Prohibits any state appropriations to VISIT FLORIDA.
  5. Requires VISIT FLORIDA to ensure that 75 percent of all expenditures go towards activities, services, functions, and programs that directly assist state parks, state forests and rural counties.
  6. Require VISIT FLORIDA to match monies from each county on a one-to-one basis while prohibiting any proceeds from TDT to be counted towards the match. Any co-op marketing or local DMO program participation cannot count.
  7. Expands the ability for counties to use TDT for tourism infrastructure for transportation, sanitary sewer, solid waste, drainage, potable water, and pedestrian facilities by removing the requirements to use at least 40% of TDT for marketing as well as removing the independent professional analysis demonstrating the positive impact to tourist-related businesses in the county.
  8. Based on Destinations Florida’s calculations, the definition of rural counties within this bill includes: Baker, Bradford, Calhoun, Columbia, DeSoto, Dixie, Franklin, Gadsden, Gilchrist, Glades, Gulf, Hamilton, Hardee, Hendry, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, Lafayette, Levy, Liberty, Madison, Okeechobee, Putnam, Suwannee, Taylor, Union, Wakulla, Walton and Washington.
Since this bill was published late last Friday,
the following organizations have already joined Destinations Florida in opposing this bill:
  1. Florida Association of Counties
  2. Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association
  3. Florida Attractions Association
We need your help in two important ways: 
1. Contact members of the committee to ask them to Vote Against PCB RRS2 (names and contact information are below).  Also, share this with others in our tourism community and ask them to also contact members of the committee asking them to Vote Against PCB RRS2.
  • Rep Tyler I. Sirois (Republican) Merritt Island Email Twitter
  • Rep Lauren Melo (Republican) Naples Email Twitter
  • Rep Joe Casello (Democrat) Boynton Beach  Email Twitter
  • Rep Carolina Amesty (Republican) Orlando  Email Twitter
  • Rep Peggy Gossett-Seidman (Republican) Boca Raton Email
  • Representative Jeff Holcomb (Republican) Spring Hill Email
  • Rep Randy” Scott Maggard (Republican) Zephyrhills Email Twitter
  • Rep Patt Maney (Republican) Ft. Walton Beach Email
  • Rep Fiona McFarland (Republican) Sarasota Email Twitter
  • Rep Angie Nixon (Democrat) Jacksonville Email Twitter
  • Rep Will Robinson Jr. (Republican) Bradenton Email Twitter
  • Rep Jason Shoaf (Republican) Live Oak  Email Twitter
  • Rep David Silvers (Democrat) West Palm Beach Email Twitter
  • Rep Susan L. Valdes (Democrat) Tampa Email Twitter
  • Rep ‘Brad’ Yeager (Republican) New Port Richey Email Twitter
2. Plan to be at the committee meeting in Tallahassee at 2:00 pm on Tuesday, March 28th. Bring members of your industry negatively impacted by this proposal.