| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to the hospitality industry; providing for |
| 3 | a hospitality industry marketing campaign in response to |
| 4 | the Deepwater Horizon oil spill; requiring the Office of |
| 5 | Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development to contract for |
| 6 | the marketing campaign; providing appropriations; |
| 7 | providing an effective date. |
| 8 |
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| 9 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 10 |
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| 11 | Section 1. Hospitality industry marketing campaign.- |
| 12 | (1) In response to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico |
| 13 | following the April 20, 2010, explosion and subsequent fire on |
| 14 | the Deepwater Horizon semisubmersible Mobile Offshore Drilling |
| 15 | Unit, the Office of Tourism, Trade, and Economic Development |
| 16 | shall contract for a 15-month coordinated marketing campaign |
| 17 | throughout the state and the southeastern United States to |
| 18 | promote tourism in those areas of the state directly or |
| 19 | indirectly affected by the oil spill or the damaging public |
| 20 | perception of that event. |
| 21 | (2) In recognition that the unexpended surplus in the |
| 22 | Hotel and Restaurant Trust Fund to be used for the marketing |
| 23 | campaign pursuant to section 2 of this act was generated through |
| 24 | license fees paid by the public lodging establishments and |
| 25 | public food service establishments of the state and that there |
| 26 | is an urgent need to initiate the marketing campaign quickly |
| 27 | using an organization with experience in such matters and close |
| 28 | ties to the affected businesses, and to leverage and maximize |
| 29 | the impact of these funds in cooperation with industry |
| 30 | participants and media partners, the Office of Tourism, Trade, |
| 31 | and Economic Development shall contract with the Florida |
| 32 | Restaurant and Lodging Association, Inc., a Florida corporation |
| 33 | not for profit, to conduct the marketing campaign pursuant to a |
| 34 | plan approved and monitored by the Office of Tourism, Trade, and |
| 35 | Economic Development. |
| 36 | Section 2. For the 2010-2011 fiscal year only, the sum of |
| 37 | $6 million is appropriated from the unexpended surplus in the |
| 38 | Hotel and Restaurant Trust Fund to the Office of Tourism, Trade, |
| 39 | and Economic Development for purposes of the hospitality |
| 40 | industry marketing campaign conducted pursuant to section 1 of |
| 41 | this act. |
| 42 | Section 3. For the 2010-2011 fiscal year only, the sum of |
| 43 | $700,000 is appropriated from the unexpended surplus in the |
| 44 | Hotel and Restaurant Trust Fund to the Department of Business |
| 45 | and Professional Regulation for purposes of the Hospitality |
| 46 | Education Program with an emphasis on supporting the workforce |
| 47 | needs of the hospitality industry impacted by the Deepwater |
| 48 | Horizon oil spill. |
| 49 | Section 4. This act shall take effect upon becoming a law. |