Sunshine Matters

I’m excited to share the following press release with you that was sent out this afternoon by Governor’s Scott’s Press Office:

Governor Rick Scott and Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam today helped VISIT FLORIDA®, the state’s official tourism marketing corporation, announce the launch of their new FishingCapital.com website.  Working with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), VISIT FLORIDA has created the ultimate website for boating and fishing enthusiasts with content to help anglers get the most out of their next Florida fishing trip.  The announcement was made at the Destination Panama City Marina just before Governor Scott and other Cabinet members embarked on a brief fishing trip for the Florida Bass2Billfish television show, sponsored by VISIT FLORIDA. 

“Florida has long been known as the ‘Fishing Capital of the World’ for good reason and we need to make sure everyone knows it,” said Governor Rick Scott.  “VISIT FLORIDA and FWC have done a great job putting together this valuable new resource that will help even more of Florida’s 82 million annual visitors find all the information they need to add a fishing adventure to their next Sunshine State vacation.”

Florida, dubbed the “Fishing Capital of the World” because of its great resources and responsible management, provides more days of recreational fishing and has more anglers fishing per year than any other state in the nation.  The diversity of the state’s sport fishes, habitats, great weather, year-round fishing and superb tourism and fishing industry-related infrastructure are unsurpassed.

“Tourism is the leading industry in the state, welcoming visitors who spend in excess of $60 billion each year and employ nearly one million Floridians,” said Ed Fouché, Chairman of the VISIT FLORIDA Board of Directors and Senior Vice President–Travel Industry Sales for Disney Destinations.  “Our vision is to establish Florida as the No. 1 travel destination in the world and since Florida is already the ‘Fishing Capital of the World’ that means the fishing industry is playing a big role in attracting visitors to the Sunshine State.”

Combined, the fishing, boating and seafood industries are responsible for generating more than $30 billion in economic impact for the state and employ nearly 400,000 Floridians.

Visitors to FishingCapital.com will find tips on all the best fishing hot spots, information on fishing events and deals, and hear daily fishing reports from local captains.  They can also pose questions to VISIT FLORIDA’s Boating & Fishing Insider, and even join the VISIT FLORIDA fishing community by uploading their own “catch of the day” photos and engaging with each other on the associated Facebook and Twitter “Fishing Feed.”

“With nearly 8,000 lakes and more than 10,000 miles of rivers, there’s always something biting in the Sunshine State,” said Chris Thompson, President and CEO of VISIT FLORIDA. “FishingCapital.com really is a fabulous resource to get all the Florida fishing and boating insider information and I’m grateful to Governor Scott and the other Cabinet members for helping VISIT FLORIDA launch the site in such a fun way.”

VISIT FLORIDA’s main website – VISITFLORIDA.com – serves as the state’s official source for travel planning and is the No. 1 trafficked state destination organization website in the country.  To view the site, please go to www.VISITFLORIDA.com.  To see the new site devoted entirely to Florida fishing and boating, visit www.FishingCapital.com.