Sunshine Matters

As part of Florida Tourism Day at the Capitol, a group of former Florida Tourism Hall of Fame inductees, VISIT FLORIDA Board members and Florida Council of Tourism Leaders was on hand for the official unveiling of the new Florida Tourism Hall of Fame display at the Florida Capitol.  The event, which was held at the Official Capitol Welcome Center, marked the culmination of a project by the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders to relocate the Hall of Fame from VISIT FLORIDA’s headquarters to a more widely-accessible display in the Capitol building.

The relocation project was made possible through the passage of Senate Bill 398 which established a permanent home for the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame at the State Capitol during last year’s legislative session, and the bill’s subsequent signing into law by Governor Rick Scott in June 2014.  None of this would have been possible without the support of the bill’s sponsor Sen. Detert, co-sponsor Sen. Margolis, the members of the Senate Commerce & Tourism Committee, and Rep. La Rosa who put forward the companion bill in the House.

With today’s unveiling, I am pleased to share that past and future leaders of the state’s No. 1 industry will be permanently honored at the State Capitol.  I would like to especially thank the members of the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders, which is comprised of the former chairs of VISIT FLORIDA’s Board of Directors, for their hard work over the past year and a half to see this project through.

Begun in 2001, the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame acknowledges contemporary and historic figures whose vision, creativity and drive have had a positive and significant impact on the development of Florida as a desirable visitor destination.  Each year, one Hall of Fame inductee is selected by the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders from among the nominations received, approved by the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and then formally recognized during the annual Florida Governor’s Conference on Tourism.

To view past inductees of the Florida Tourism Hall of Fame or to download the 2015 Hall of Fame nomination form, please click here.  The deadline to submit nominations is April 14, 2015.  For more information, please visit FloridaTourismHallofFame.org.