Sunshine Matters

I am pleased to announce that Terry Prather, former President of SeaWorld Orlando, has been appointed to serve as the Executive Director of the Florida Council of Tourism Leaders.  The Council, which is comprised of the former chairs of VISIT FLORIDA’s Board of Directors, creates a strong network of industry experts that may be called on by the Board, the Chair or the President for their expertise and experience.  Collectively, these professionals bring to bear more than two hundred years of institutional knowledge on the Florida tourism and hospitality industry.

Terry’s first effort in this new role will be to conduct a strategic assessment that will identify areas of focus for the Council and develop a “Tourism Tomorrow Roadmap” to better align the Council with the 2020 Strategic Plan of VISIT FLORIDA.  As its Executive Director, Terry will work closely with Chairman John Tomlin and members of the Council to implement the roadmap.  He will also attend industry events on behalf of the Council and serve as a liaison to business partners such as CareerSource Florida and hospitality school leadership.

In the coming weeks, Terry will be holding individual meetings with each Council member to discuss perceptions, professional aspirations, strengths, and opportunities for the Council, along with strategies to achieve the desired industry impact.  The “Tourism Tomorrow Roadmap” and the work of the Council will be crucial to VISIT FLORIDA’s future success and is whole-heartedly endorsed by the Board of Directors.

I would like to thank the Council members for their leadership and continued support of VISIT FLORIDA.  The Florida tourism industry has a tremendous amount of momentum and the Council has a very important role to ensure that our industry and our State are well positioned to build on that momentum over the long term.  For more information on the Council or to share suggestions, please contact Terry Prather at tprather@visitflorida.org.